Notwithstanding that road fatalities in Malta are way below the European average and in 2012 were at an all time low, Transport Malta has felt the necessity to develop a new road safety strategy for the next 10 years. In fact, the number of road deaths per 100,000 inhabitants favourably compares with other EU countries.

The process is currently in the consultation phase and Transport Malta are asking all stakeholders to submit their proposals. The strategy document can be found on the Transport Malta website.

The document states that “over the last decade, despite a 20 per cent increase in the number of registered motor vehicles and higher usage levels, the total number of road accidents has remained at a fairly constant baseline of around 14,500 per year”.

TM are calling for a 50 per cent reduction in fatalities, 30 per cent in grievous injuries and 20 per cent in slight injuries by 2020.

As the Transport Minister stated in the document, road safety also “impacts other areas of society because road safety has links with policies on infrastructure, health, police, transport, energy, education, emergency services, research, environment, tech­nology, insurance innovation and trade”.

In my opinion, the strategy should address the following issues:

1. Cyclists on our roads. Although fatalities are not alarming, I think venturing on a bicycle on our roads is still very dangerous mainly for three reasons: car drivers’ disrespect towards cyclists; cyclists’ lack of safety awareness; and inadequate infrastructure, such as cycle lanes.

2. Motorbikes. Although I have no statistics to back my reasoning, my perception is that the incidence of motorbike accidents and fatalities in proportion to the number of motorbikes on our roads compared to other vehicles, is pretty high.

In the UK, motorcyclists are roughly 35 times more likely to be killed in a road traffic accident than car occupants, per mile ridden. Something must be done.

3. Horses on our roads. A controversial topic recently, I think there is a lot that needs to be done in this regard. Although calling for a total ban seems the best option it doesn’t have to be the only option. Closing main roads for horse races without a police permit, however, must definitely stop.

4. Using mobile phones while driving. Research has shown that using a mobile phone while driving means you’re four times more likely to crash. I’m not sure what the law actually states on this; Is hands free communication permissible? Is texting while driving as dangerous as answering a call? In this technological age, can we look into the possibility of allowing some form of telecommunication without putting our lives or the lives of others at any risk?

5. Public Transport. We need to get this right one way or another. This will contribute to more people using public transport, hence less private cars on the road, resulting in safer roads.

Besides these, there are other obvious areas that need addressing: Drink and drug driving; fatigue, excessive speeds; better signage and the omnipresent potholes and bad infrastructure.

Finally, I think we need to invest more in the process of education and enforcement, which does not mean installing speed cameras at every corner or issuing excessive contraventions.

I agree with the document that we need to take “a more holistic approach to addressing the road safety challenges on the road network. Hence the speeds at which we travel, the safety of the vehicle we use and the level of protection of the roads are to be combined and managed to ensure that when collisions occur these do not result in fatalities or grievous injuries.”

Let us respect our lives and the lives of others more.

motoring@timesofmalta.com

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