We might be reckless but Malta's roads are EU safest

We might have a reputation for being reckless drivers and several of our roads are a recipe for traffic mayhem, but a Eurostat report shows Malta has the safest roads in the EU.

Malta recorded the lowest ratio with 61 deaths per one million registered passenger cars, nearly half the number of fatalities of the second safest country - Sweden.

The report by the European Commission's statistical office, compared 2004 figures from the member states and found that since 1994 there has been considerable progress in road safety in all countries for which data is available.

Eastern Europe has the EU's most dangerous roads with Latvia, Romania, Lithuania and Slovakia recording the highest number of persons killed in road accidents per million registered passenger cars, with 752, 749, 571 and 507 deaths respectively.

Malta, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany record the lowest ratios with 61, 117, 121, 126 and 129 deaths per one million registered passenger cars respectively.

Nevertheless, the figure of deaths in Malta marks an increase of 69 per cent from 1994.

The report shows that passenger car density in a region is inversely proportional to the number of fatalities in road accidents - the higher the passenger car density, the safer the region. In 2004, Malta had the fifth highest vehicle density in the EU. The statistics show that considerable progress has been registered over the last decade where car transport is concerned.

Traffic expert Joe Micallef Stafrace is not surprised with the findings.

Normally it is speed that kills and Malta's roads are synonymous with short distances that make it hard to gain acceleration. Besides, the few roads prone to speeding have been fitted with speed cameras.

Dr Micallef Stafrace said the fact that a number of roads have been narrowed have also reduced speed. Also, the fact that most traffic accidents still make the headlines also helps to raise awareness about the dangers on the road.

"We might be renowned for not observing the rules but, ultimately, I believe most drivers respect people," Dr Micallef Stafrace said.