Who said red means stop?

My nerves are frazzled to bits, watching out for idiots who never stop at stop signs, drive off from traffic lights at amber and red, and worse, karrozzini adding to the fray. It really is becoming a jungle out there.

I had finished work at about 10 p.m. last Saturday. As I passed a notorious black spot, the junction of Rue d'Argens with Msida Road, I saw policemen and wardens milling round two cars which had clashed horns.

I often use that junction, and it is lethal. A few weeks ago workmen were digging there and I thought, "finally the long needed island is being done".

But that was not the case and the area is back to being a free-for-all. Now, many drivers here do what they want to, even where there are lights and stop signs, so the situation is doubly hazardous where no stop signs exist.

"There, but for the grace of God, go I", I thought, thinking of the poor driver who had obviously been barged into. I had not got very far, the next traffic light in Rue d'Argens in fact, where the road crosses Sliema Road.

The lights were red when I got there, but turned green soon after. While the lights were at amber on Sliema Road a karrozzin leisurely crossed over from Gzira, at red another one followed. I slowed down till it passed the junction and proceeded. It was then that a car following the second cab's example also jumped the lights and hit me.

Obviously, I am not in God's good books, heaven knows why. I am not such a bad girl! Anyway, I was not hurt except for a nasty bruise which appeared the next day, but one of my headlights and that part of the car were smashed. The offending vehicle, on the other hand, hardly suffered any damage. Life is not fair!

And what were karrozzini doing crossing Rue d'Argens at 10 at night for heaven's sake?! But the most annoying thing was having to wait for the traffic wardens to arrive. They were still dealing with the accident up the road.

I was tired and desperate to get home and put my feet up. The last thing I needed was this hassle and having to take my car to the garage the next day, etc.

The guy who barged into me was very apologetic, he said he got confused by someone blowing their horn and thought the lights had changed! He said I was not to worry as his insurers would pay for the damage.

But I did worry, because when the warden finally arrived, he took pictures, endless measurements, etc., but never asked about the colour the lights were when the crash occurred. The guy who jumped the lights did not mention the lights at all in his version, and to add insult to injury claimed I barged into him!

As for breathalysers, what happened to them?

When I was asked to sign my version of what happened I could not read a word, not because it was in Maltese, but because the writing was illegible.

However, when I checked the report by phone later, the warden had at least got my version down correctly. The reason I am boring you with these details is that driving is becoming more and more scary and there but by the grace of God goes you, so watch out! Look right and left and right again even when the lights are in your favour.

Drunk again!

I don't believe it! Last week I started my column referring to yet another crane accident as déjà vu. I mentioned that we seem to have had such accidents, cranes toppling over or running amok, too frequently and despite seminars organised by the HASAW authority nothing seems to be working to stop them. I also said that because no one had got hurt in that accident, I was bored with the monotony of repeating myself.

Then in Friday's papers we were regaled with pictures of yet another crane 'crash'. If it were not that these accidents are no laughing matter, one could fill several pages with cranes falling all over the place with a caption like "Drunk again!" I am in no way implying the drivers of the cranes were drunk. This, like the Yorkie ad, is a joke.

But, seriously, it is so obvious that the people who are operating the cranes are not trained or experienced in handling such complex machinery.

If ever you have some time to spare and want a laugh, stop and watch some crane operators and their fellow builders at work, their machines might be sophisticated, but believe me their operatives are not.

Shouldn't these people require a licence? And who is monitoring whether these people know what they are doing?

Now although I have been snotty about the operatives, it is also very much in their interest that they get the proper training and are provided with safety procedures.

After all they can get injured or even killed, and they are also laying themselves open to being sued for damages, unless they are covered by a proper contract and insurance.

This week, as opposed to last, someone did get seriously injured and that should make the people responsible for health and safety, and the minister responsible, sit up and follow the advice I gave last week.

Which was that obviously hefty fines are needed for those who do not abide by the rules and who do not train their employees who have to handle potentially dangerous, heavy equipment.

And it is not only with cranes that the construction industry has an abysmal record with regard to HASAW. On Friday another construction worker lost his life on a building site when a wall collapsed.

Last week I asked whether our politicians and their factotums where up to biting the bullet on this issue. More specifically, and even more urgently now, the politicians in government should act before the bullet bites them.

Smoking chimney

The above photo of the chimney at St Luke's Hospital belching thick black smoke was taken a couple of weeks ago. It got some doctors, working there wondering when some patient they warned to stop smoking would turn round and tell them "If you think I should stop smoking, what about your chimney?!"

As for the lantern - drunk yet again!