A reader sent in this scary dashcam video of a car being driven wrong way along the Mrieħel bypass last night.
Quick action by the driver averted a collision with potentially tragic consequences on the 80km maximum speed road.
It is the second time in two months a car has been filmed driving the wrong way on the Mrieħel bypass, though the October incident happened in broad daylight during rush hour.
Meanwhile, the police said yesterday they will be out in full force over the holiday season, on the lookout for drink-drivers.
A spokeswoman for the force said that apart from routine checks, the police would be conducting random breathalyser checks on drivers “all over the island”.
Checks, she said, would start from the afternoon and go on till the early hours during all days of the holiday period.
Last year, Times of Malta had reported that hundreds of drivers were pulled over by the police during roadside inspections throughout the holiday seaosn.
In 2014, a drink-driving incident had cost 22-year-old law student Matthew Meilak his life. He was a passenger in a car being driven by another reveller who was later found by a court expert to have been over the legal alcohol limit.
The police yesterday also launched an anti-drink-driving campaign entitled Gawdi l-Festi... Gawdi l-Ħajja (Enjoy the holidays... Enjoy life).
Even one unit of alcohol slows reaction time and impairs judgement
The campaign is being conducted in collaboration with the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate, Transport Malta, the Civil Protection Department, government agency Sedqa, Touring Club Malta, Mater Dei Hospital, the Malta Road Safety Council, and Blood Transfusion Department.
“Even one unit of alcohol slows reaction time and impairs judgement and coordination, which are all skills needed to drive a car safely. Driving after drinking can have severe consequences,” the campaign organiser said yesterday.
The authorities urged those who planned on drinking at social events to use alternative transportation methods, be it public transport, taxis, or car pooling. The hashtag #getacab is also being promoted on social media.
“Something as simple as having a designated driver can save lives,” the authorities said.
While cheer and merriment are normally in no short supply during the holiday season, so too are the number of drunk drivers, with the number of automobile accidents often increasing during the Christmas period.
Through new provisions in the law, introduced earlier this year, anyone caught driving under the influence of alcohol is liable to a fine of €1,200 and a driving suspension of between eight days and three years. For those caught a second time round, the fine can be increased to €2,397 and a driving suspension of three years.
Watched anything odd on our streets. E-mail mynews@timesofmalta.com