It was bound to happen: a 76-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a car while walking on the pavement in Attard.

Not so long ago, also in Attard, an elderly man was killed near the traffic lights in Mdina Road and twin girls were seriously injured when they were knocked down by a speeding car on a zebra crossing.

Victor Vassallo Street is the widest stretch of straight road in Attard, allowing traffic coming from Rabat to cut straight to Triq il-Pitkali on the other side of the locality.

It is a racing track for reckless drivers. Despite complaints from residents and attempts by the local council, no effective measures have been introduced to remove this road danger.

Sadly, successive governments have allowed the traffic situation on the roads to deteriorate to the extent that it is no longer safe to walk on a pavement or pedestrian crossing. Lawlessness on the roads has reached alarming levels and the number of pedestrian victims is increasing.

As a rule of thumb, the average Maltese driver will not obey traffic rules if it is expedient to break them. It is naïve to expect that in the prevailing circumstances people will obey traffic signs unless there are other measures to ensure obedience, such as speed cameras or wardens.

One cannot allow arterial roads to cut through residential areas without introducing traffic calming measures.

An accident is waiting to happen on that stretch of Triq il-Linja that joins Mosta Road to the Rabat Road and bisects a quiet residential area.

Along one side are traffic signs limiting the speed to 35km. I have yet to see one driver observing this limit.

Unless calming measures are introduced, these signs should be removed for they are a constant reminder of the ineffectiveness of those who are supposed to be protecting us from the menace of irresponsible driving.