Irresponsible driving and more victims of traffic accidents on our roads

More people are ending up in hospital needing immediate attention, and are often on the brink of death, after a traffic accident.

However, we never get to know what happens to the victims after they are taken to hospital. We never hear of the daily, uphill struggle to get over the trauma, the physical pain and mental exhaustion to survive a string of operations, the final acceptance of viewing yourself in the light of a changed person.

We all want to hear that things get better, but it is rarely true; you only resign yourself to a new, harder life because the old one, which has been taken away from you, will never be restored.

The victim needs physiotherapy every day and frequent hospital visits, while those few irresponsible drivers who make it through unscathed by the accident keep leading a normal life, possibly on the road even a few days later.

At the end of the day, the only consolation for the victim is the insurance company’s compensation. In Malta, victims are not compensated for pain and suffering, but only for medical expenses.

These do not cover days and months of sleepless nights, sacrifices by the supporting family, the loss of independence and self-dignity.

Furthermore, how can the system assume the victim can afford the medical treatment necessary if this is only compensated afterwards?

Accidents happen when least expected, but drivers of vehicles have to be responsible, if not out of respect for other people’s lives, at least through fear of the law.

Insurance should not act as a safety net for people to shirk responsibility. Everyone knows the speed limit and Malta definitely cannot be criticisedfor its lack of traffic signs and pedestrian lights.

Furthermore, this ongoing carnage driven by irresponsibility is only an additional burden on our hospitals and medical resources, which would definitely benefit if these accidents were prevented.

Let us be honest enough and admit that most of us answer our mobile phones while driving, that a bottle or two of wine in our system do not prevent us from sitting behind the wheel and driving, that the distractions are several and yet nobody thinks the next time they are driving they might crush a body with their car.

In short, road regulations are not being taken seriously enough, and something must be done before the next time the mobile phone rings; it will be to inform you that a family member or a friend is in hospital struggling for dear life.

Accident or no accident there are repercussions which the victim will suffer throughout his life. The victim pays for another person’s mistake, and if these excesses remain unpunished and no one is accountable, the numbers will keep rising.