Eighty per cent of those who took part in a survey on traffic are concerned about the frequency of serious traffic accidents.
The result comes in the wake of a record year for fatalities on Malta’s roads, with 26 in 2022, and already three so far this year.
There have been 83 road deaths since 2018, 29 of which involved the death of pedestrians, 14 of them aged over 65.
Undoubtedly one of the challenges people speak about day to day is the impact that traffic is leaving on their social well-being- Andrew Azzopardi, dean, faculty of social well-being
In fact, the study, by the University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Well-being, showed that those who worried most about serious traffic accidents were the 60 to 69-year-olds, followed by those aged 50 to 59, those aged 40 to 49 and the 70+ category.
The government has promised to set up a transport safety commission to investigate the causes of fatal road accidents as part of a wider plan to make roads safer.
Traffic raises anger levels
The study looked into the perceived effect of traffic on the well-being of the Maltese population. Data was collected via telephone interviews administered to 400 Maltese citizens earlier this month. It was led by the dean of the Faculty for Social Well-being Andrew Azzopardi and deputy dean Gottfried Catania, with research support officer Annabel Cuff.
According to the study, three in every five people feel traffic increases their anger level, with women getting more irritated than men when stuck behind the wheel.
Forty-six per cent of the respondents “strongly agreed” that being stuck in traffic makes them feel angrier, while another 15 per cent “agreed”. On average, women scored higher than men on a scale of how strongly they agree, ranking an average 5.3 compared to 4.8 for men.
The study also showed anger levels were highest among those who were self-employed (with an average score of 6.3 out of 7).
Time in traffic affects mood of many
Forty-five per cent of respondents say the time they spend in traffic has an effect on their mood for the rest of the day. And 72 per cent say traffic tires them out.
A total of 69 per cent also say they waste a lot of time in traffic which could be put to better use.
The data further revealed that 82 per cent of respondents own a car but 65 per cent are worried about emissions from cars.
The latest data shows Malta had the third-highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of eight per cent over the previous year.
“The faculty has a duty to keep its hand on the pulse of our communities,” said Azzopardi.
“Undoubtedly one of the challenges people speak about day to day is the impact that traffic is leaving on their social well-being. As a faculty we felt that it is the right time to seek the opinion of the general public on a number of specific issues related to this theme in a study… so that we can better inform public policy.”