Road safety campaign badly needed

I refer to the editorial entitled Road Safety Must Be A National Concern (February 22). Since its foundation 25 years ago, Touring Club Malta has been struggling for funds to run campaigns on road safety. Many officials from the committee do their best to speak out about the issue but unfortunately, since we do not have too many sponsors, we cannot afford to run paid adverts.

We started with "Do not drink and drive" press releases in Christmastime. Then through TV programmes, and recently on Education 22 and TVM, our views on road safety have been aired, for which we are grateful. We hope that other TV and radio stations follow suit.

I appreciate the editorial because we need to work hand in hand on this issue. The government should encourage NGOs to be partners in a road safety endeavour. Why should an organisation like Touring Club Malta, an established NGO for more than 25 years, not form part of a road safety council, just like they have in other countries? Touring Club Malta was the first organisation in Malta that signed the EU Road Safety Charter and organised an art competition and exhibition with the help of the education authorities.

We encourage companies to copy our initiatives but we also need some sponsorship to print the "Disabled by Accident" sticker (see above). A company has given us a good start but now we need other forms of sponsorship. A DBA sticker should at least be given free to all drivers. With proper funding, a road safety council would be able to distribute pamphlets and have publicity in the media all the year round.

We would like to be consulted and made use of for the expertise we can tap, especially where studies are needed to prevent accidents on certain roads - the one at Portes-des-Bombes being a case in point, where signs telling drivers to reduce their speed are urgently needed.

Those who would like to join our campaign for road safety and help the club can write to info@touringclubmalta.org. We are a registered NGO.