I have long held the view that in Malta the use of hazard lights by drivers is in many cases improper (and in some cases even illegal).

On our daily progress through our cluttered streets we encounter these obstacles everywhere: main roads, side roads, squares, alleys, lanes, no-parking spaces, etc.

It seems that in Malta the perception is that flickering one’s hazard lights gives the owner of the vehicle unlimited licence to park the vehicle anywhere for as long as one pleases.

The authorites, whether traffic wardens or the police, seem to be also under this wrong impression because I have seen them with my own eyes on several occasions passing by these obstructing vehicles without even batting an eye.

According to my book of traffic instructions: “The hazard warning system should be used whenever one finds it necessary to stop the vehicle in an emergency situation and/or hazardous location.”

The note also advises that: “When you must make such an emergency stop, always pull off the road as far as possible in order not to interrupt the flow of traffic or obstruct other normal business on the road/street.”

This is surely not the practice in Malta. Using the hazard lights is the norm not the exception. Perhaps, the time has come for the authorities at Transport Malta and local councils to tackle this problem head on as it has now gotten out of control and is causing endless problems to considerate drivers who already have to cope with a far from satisfying situation on roads.