Reckless driving by motorists as well as some bike riders is the main cause of serious accidents involving motorcycles on Malta’s roads, according to an NGO that promotes road safety.

Police figures show that 25 people have died from nearly 600 serious accidents involving motorbikes in just over four years.

Of the fatalities, 10 of the victims were Maltese and 15 included Italian, French, German, Hungarian, Filipino, Pakistani, Nepalese and Bulgarian people. Two men were killed last weekend. Until March, there were 43 serious motorbike accidents, according to the police data.

The causes of road accidents are not published and magisterial inquiries are kept secret. The police data does not detail the cause of the accidents or fatalities and a planned road accident bureau will not be up and running until December. 

Aldo Overend from the 2 Wheels Foundation said motorcyclists face many hazards on the roads, including the lack of panelling on crash barriers on most roads that could cushion some injuries.

“If a motorcyclist skids and slams into a barrier he would hurt less if he hit something flat as opposed to sliding underneath the metal edge,” he said.

Skidding is another major hazard for motoryclists.

“There is a lot of gravel on the roads. Construction vehicles often drip concrete or water. Then you have water being let into the road either by people washing their homes or pools being emptied into the road. This makes the roads unexpectedly slippery,” he said.

A motorcyclist was seriously injured when he skidded into a crash barrier with no side panelling in Pieta in February. Photo: Malta Police

But he believes the main cause of accidents is the “negligence and recklessness” of car drivers as well as some motorcyclists who do not observe the rules of the road.

Lack of enforcement and education is exacerbating the problem, he said.

According to the National Statistics Office, the number of motorcycles on the roads increased from 29,034 in 2019 to 39,500 in 2022.

A recent photo of water pouring into the road in St Andrew’s. Photo: Aldo Overend

Transport Malta said that last year it increased the presence of enforcement officers on the roads, which resulted in trebling the number of contraventions issued.

“Also, during the same period, our roads saw more effective roadside inspections by the authority that mostly were carried out together with the police and other entities. They invested in more training and more assets with the procurement of four new high-power motorcycles and other useful equipment.”