Traffic wardens and transport officials are to start using speed guns as part of ongoing efforts to improve road safety.
This will probably add substantially to the tally of over 6,000 speeding drivers caught by the police with the use of speed guns in the past year.
Speeding is already the most common traffic contravention along with the use of mobile phones by drivers, according to the police. Both are also considered the most dangerous.
The fine for speeding ranges between €35 and €70 depending on how far over the speed limit the vehicle was moving.
Portable, state-of-the-art speed-monitoring equipment, so far only used by the police, will now soon be in the hands of officers from the Local Enforcement System Agency (LESA) and Transport Malta. The speed guns will continue to be used randomly on different roads, especially where drivers tend to exceed the speed limit.
Road-checks are being done daily
A spokesperson for the police told Times of Malta that the police were working with other law enforcement entities so that they would start using speed guns “in the near future”.
2,322 contraventions in two months
In the last two months, the police have issued 2,322 contraventions after catching offenders with speed guns. In a year, the police have issued a total of 6,493 contraventions for speeding.
The highest recorded speed was 195km/h on the Coast Road.
The spokesperson said these figures were evidence of the Malta Police Force’s commitment to road safety.
“We shall remain committed to ensuring safety on our roads, hence different branches within the force are working simultaneously, and apart from the use of speed guns, various road checks are being done daily,” the spokesperson said.
Controversy arose over the perceived lack of fixed speed cameras on high-speed roads following the death of teenager https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/police-carried-roadblock-30-minutes-crash-killed-kacey-sciberras.1033832 in an Attard crash last May.
Prime Minister Robert Abela had said that installing more speed cameras would not automatically solve all road safety problems, but he did not exclude installing more of them around the island.
The use of speed guns is permissible under Subsidiary Legislation 65.11. This law allows speed monitoring devices to be used by a police officer or community officer.
It says that any photos, video or any other record produced by a speed-monitoring device, including measurement, shall be admissible as evidence in court and shall constitute proof of the offence.
That evidence must, however, be accompanied by a signed certificate showing date, time and place in which the photograph, video or other record was produced, the law states.
An accident could take other people’s lives
Enforcement officers may only use devices prescribed by the minister responsible for transport, who may lay down any conditions connected to the purpose of using the device and the way in which it is used.
No need to warn drivers
The police told Times of Malta when asked that the law does not oblige the police to warn drivers about the use of speed monitoring devices.
However, some legal experts have said this may amount to entrapment.
“We remind all road users to be responsible while using our roads and also adhere to traffic regulations and codes,” the police spokesperson said.
“Apart from the driver’s life, which is precious, an accident could also take other people’s lives. Hence we keep stressing on the need for responsibility from users while also enforcing the regulations.
“Unfortunately, speeding and the use of mobile phones while driving are the most common traffic contraventions and the most dangerous.”