I refer to the letter entitled ‘No outrage over traffic fatalities?’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, December 11).
The letter seems to challenge a 2016 European Commission survey, which, once again, confirms that Malta has the best European statistics for road safety. On the other hand, Malta appears to have the worst roads in the European Union, if one were to exclude Romania.
The letter has at least five fatal flaws. In the first instance, it compares Maltese traffic fatalities to those in selected European small cities, without satisfactorily justifying why it would rather not compare between European national statistics, or at least compare Maltese national statistics with those from all European small cities. In any case, even such a skewed comparison delivers very favourable results for Malta in 2014.
In the second instance, it associates the isolated sharp rise in Maltese traffic fatalities in 2016 with inappropriate speed limits, when, in fact, speed limits have not changed between 2014 and 2016. In the third instance, it ignores any possibility that the worst roads in the European Union are indeed a major factor in road fatalities in Malta.
In the fourth instance, it ignores local reports that have linked the out-of-trend statistics for 2016 to a very remarkable rise in motorcycle accidents. Finally, it ignores the fact that roads which safely allow cars to travel at higher speeds are among the safest per kilometre travelled.
To quote from a World Health Organisation report: “Excess speed is defined as exceeding the speed limit. Inappropriate speed is defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.”
It is inappropriate speed that is the problem. Travelling at 100km/h on a motorway may be perfectly safe, but travelling at the same speed on a road designed for safe travel at 60km/h is clearly not.
I would suggest that, should any one of the cities mentioned in the letter suddenly be informed that it had among the worst roads in Europe, the resulting outrage would not target motorists.