Half of those who died in traffic accidents this year were pedestrians, a consultant at the Casualty Department said yesterday, appealing for responsible driving.
Although the rate of traffic fatalities was decreasing, the percentage of pedestrians who died in road accidents increased.
Of the 10 traffic victims this year, five were pedestrians compared to two out of the 18 fatalities last year, Jonathan Joslin said yesterday at the launch of a campaign raising awareness on the dangers of drink-driving.
Through online, radio and TV adverts and posters in nightclub toilets, motorists are being urged to be careful over the festive season, not just for their own safety but also to safeguard pedestrians and passengers.
Dr Joslin said his appeal to motorists not to drink and drive applied throughout the year. Accidents peaked in December and in summer.
Texting while driving is a growing problem
Over the past two years, there was a yearly average of 15,000 collisions and in the first six months of this year ambulances were dispatched on 472 occasions.
Apart from alcohol, serious traffic accidents were caused by tiredness and the growing problem of texting while driving. Dr Joslin’s appeal was reiterated by representatives from the Police Force, the Civil Protection Department, Transport Malta, the Health Promotion Department, Touring Club Malta and Sedqa.
Assistant Police Commissioner Sandro Zarb said spot checks, including breathalyser tests, would not be focused exclusively on Paceville and Buġibba but spread across the island because of a growing trend of parties at private residences.
CPD operations manager Tony Pisani urged restaurant and bar owners to avoid overcrowding and ensure easy access to emergency exits.
Conducting an evacuation when people were in high spirits could lead to a tragedy if access to exits was blocked.
Reiterating her peers’ calls for caution, Charmaine Gauci, from the Health Promotion Department, advised parents that it would be better for their children to sleep over after parties than be forced to return home by car.
If that were not possible, one could get a minibus or a taxi.
She added that the message of the campaign was zero tolerance. People who were driving should never drink because many would wrongly argue that they could drink and still drive.