Thanks to a decision by the EU, sometime next year it will become mandatory for drivers to keep their vehicle lights on throughout the day while driving, as this has been proved to improve safety.

I do not doubt the good intentions of those who took this decision and it is a fact that in a good number of countries all over the world, this is the practice. Certainly drivers in Malta should keep their lights on in dull weather as happened recently or in rain and a good number of motorcyclists know that it is in their interest to keep their lights on to be seen rather than see except when they endanger their own safety. But I must express my reservations about this in Malta.

How is safety going to improve with vehicle lights on if you have so many drivers blatantly ignoring traffic regulations and signs? Worse still is when a driver causes an accident by ignoring traffic signs and regulations.

If anyone in Malta, the EU or anywhere else thinks that safety is going to improve by drivers keeping their lights on at all times, then I regret to say, nothing will improve. This is valid only where drivers are disciplined. The only people who will benefit are those dealing in car batteries and vehicle breakdown services because a lot of cars do not switch off lights when engines are turned off, with the result that many people will find flat batteries.