News of injuries and fatalities caused by road accidents is regularly making the headlines. Our roads are congested beyond belief and, with every day that passes, news portals continue to share with us the tragedies taking place on a regular basis. Is this an inevitable situation or can we do something about it?
Is it already too late to do anything at all? Will it get any worse? Nowadays one can see a much more diverse range of roads and, hence, motorists are increasingly finding themselves in the unfamiliar situation where the road needs to be shared. The question is whether all users are following the same set of rules or not. Is it, therefore, a question of further education?
Education plays a very important part of it. Most opt for professional driving tuition before taking the driving test. They make sure to be on their best driving ‘behaviour’ on the day, otherwise, they would be asked to repeat the test if they failed. Those of us who drive regularly while on holiday elsewhere in Europe know all too well how disciplined drivers are and how well the rules of the road are respected. Why do we therefore find it easier to let ourselves go when we drive on Maltese roads?
A demerit points system could help distinguish the reckless from the careful drivers
Is it a case of ‘why shouldn’t I do it?’ Every road user can contribute towards a better traffic flow and fewer accidents simply by following the rules. Stopping at a stop sign (rather than allowing the vehicle to crawl) or else when the traffic lights are red, not overtaking where there are continuous white lines, giving precedence to those using the roundabout are just some examples of regulations that most motorists tend to defy occasionally. Same goes for pedestrians who decide to cross the road when pedestrian crossings are available, usually only a couple of metres away.
The list goes on and on to the extent that chaos on our roads reigns supreme. The top spot for this abusive behaviour has to go to mobile phone usage and texting while driving. This has regrettably become a regular phenomenon on our roads. The fines for certain contraventions, such as the use of mobile phones have recently been hiked up.
Most would argue that, without proper enforcement, such measures are useless. The sad reality is that fines are settled and almost immediately forgotten about. There are other mechanisms which could be more effective in deterring repeat offenders and, especially, those who feel that rules are there to be broken. European drivers are disciplined because they know all too well there is a high price to pay for reckless driving.
A combination of steep fines (most of which are paid on the spot) and penalty points on their driving licence are applied. An accumulation of penalty points over time will lead to the suspension or revocation of a driving licence. In certain countries, drivers may redeem some of these points through continued education/driving practices aimed at reinforcing respect for the rules of the road. Although Malta introduced a demerit point system (DPS) way back in 2004, it applies solely for the first three years of driving, which are considered to be a probationary period.
A driving licence is withdrawn once the motorist hits the 12-point mark. However, once the probationary period expires, the points system is lifted. In reality though, the motorist is still using the same road network and should, therefore, be following the same set of rules except that the deterrent has now been lifted. The sad reality is that, once we take our driving test, our driving patterns and habits deteriorate rapidly and we tend to take more chances, especially if nobody is watching.
We should, in theory, be driving in a similar manner as on the day we sat for our driving test and, if not, we should have that same deterrent as we did on the day itself: that of losing our licence. In most European countries where the DPS has been introduced, the system is considered to be most effective if it runs alongside an effective enforcement system. Ultimately, there has to be someone on the road to notice this erratic, reckless or abusive behaviour and apply the necessary sanction.
The beauty of applying demerit points to one’s licence stems from the fact that it creates a record against a name as opposed to a monetary sanction (fine) that is settled and forgotten. Insurance companies would, therefore, be able to better differentiate between different types of motorists and to reward those with cleaner records and driving experience. As things stand today, reckless drivers are enjoying a free ride thanks to the lower insurance costs that are indirectly subsidised by careful drivers.
A DPS system could, therefore, help to distinguish the reckless from the careful drivers and help to clean up our roads from those motorists who should not really be using them in the first place. The steady increase in road accidents and fatalities requires immediate action but it is not good enough to create a momentary hype only when there is yet another victim.
Once again, we need to take a leaf out of the book of those countries that have taken road safety seriously. Following the Irish model, road safety has been hived off into an authority of its own where all the aspects mentioned in this article, namely education, sanctions, record keeping etc., are all part of its remit.
The time has come to send a strong message across that saving lives and keeping road fatalities to a minimum is also an investment worth making. The process is a very simple yet effective one – where education plays an important role as from the young but this needs to be complemented with sanctioning in case of abusive or reckless behaviour and ending up with penalising repeat offenders. Too many lives are lost and many others put in jeopardy as a result of reckless and irresponsible behaviour. It is time to put a stop to all this.
Adrian Galea is director general, Malta Insurance Association.