An increase in fines for traffic contraventions is a positive step towards road safety but will not solve the problem without enforcement, better road design and changes to the legal system, road safety experts say.

They were reacting to news that tougher penalties will form part of the government’s plan to curb road deaths by tackling reckless driving habits such as using a mobile phone.

But Adrian Galea, of the Malta Insurance Association, warned that simply increasing penalties will not result in the desired change in driver behaviour.

“It is not good enough to just raise fines because the law on our roads itself actually needs enforcing”, he said.

Mobile phone use is “rampant” among drivers, he said, but drinking, applying make-up and other activities that distract motorists are also very common.

“One other major worry on our roads is drink and drug driving, where this matter is given very little importance except for the odd awareness campaign that happens around the festive season,” he said.

“In this country, motorists who abuse on our roads or,  worse still, are involved in serious accidents producing fatalities and/or injuries are not subjected to a breathalyser test and are allowed to walk away,” he said.

Applying drug tests in addition to alcohol (breathalyser) tests, immediately suspending drivers who reach the maximum 12 points in the driving penalty points system and using handheld speed cameras are some ways the police can make roads safer, Galea said.

'Criminal court too soft'

John Axiaq, who specialises in traffic accident litigation, said the criminal court is too soft towards dangerous drivers who cause serious injury or death to others. 

People continue to behave badly on the roads because they don’t fear being caught, he suggested.

 “To date, extremely few people have been jailed following road fatalities,” he said.

The courts tend to hand out suspended jail sentences, he said.

“In cases where the offender leads to a permanent disability,  the punishment is usually a suspension of licence for seven to 14 days, which is far less than a slap on the wrist.”

'Road design, infrastructure important factors'

Mobility NGO ROTA president, Daniel Vella said road design and infrastructure are important contributing factors to road safety. “Are pedestrians and cyclists given enough priority on roads,” he asked.

Just this week, a cyclist was left seriously injured in a hit-and-run while another spoke to Times of Malta about how he was almost killed when his bicycle hit a badly constructed ramp.

Vella suggested that unnecessarily wide carriages also add danger to Maltese roads. “Studies show that there is a direct relationship between road width and vehicle speed,” he said.

Road safety council chairman Pierre Vella said a revamp of the penalty points system is another important deterrent for would-be offenders.

'Enforcement should increase physically and electronically'

Enforcement should also increase physically and electronically, he said.

Other experts have previously called for greater transparency in informing the public what the contributing factors have been in fatal accidents. Without this vital information, it remains difficult to make changes that will keep road users safe.

People who stopped to speak to Times of Malta in Paola largely welcomed the proposed increases in penalties.

“You have nothing to worry about if you observe the rules,” said Anton Azzopardi. “If you break the law, then it works against you, so you have to drive safely. At the end of the day, you’re not alone on the road.”

However, they also agreed that more enforcement was needed to change driver behaviour.

“You need to catch the person in the act, so surveillance is necessary,” said Catherine Cassar.

“The attitude is, I’m ok… you Jack,” said Brian Grima. “We need more discipline, we need to crack the whip.”

However, others thought that there needed to be a powerful education campaign to make reckless driving socially unacceptable before there is any discernible change.

“I think it’s better to educate and inform people rather than increasing fines,” said Christopher Ellul. “Those who can afford it will pay the fine and continue acting the same way.”