Much has improved in Malta during the 42 years I was living in London, but one thing has not changed, if anything it has got worse: driving.

Motorists seem to forget they have a thing called ‘indicators’. They think that once you pass your driving test, you can park wherever and however you like: double parked in order to stop right in front of the shop you wish to visit; park on the pavement; on a bus stop; on a pedestrian crossing and much more.

And what about those drivers, and especially heavy vehicles that crawl along on the outside lane of dual carriageways, forcing motorists to take the risky option of having to overtake on the inside (illegal in civilised countries). Every night I encounter cars with no lights on: perhaps they were being driven by owls, or the drivers eat a lot of carrots for better eyesight. Then there is the right arm hanging from the window, when it is a well known fact that you need both hands to steer your vehicle safely.

But the thing I hate most of all, which has on numerous occasions caused my hair (what little is left) to turn grey is the number of times that a driver cuts a corner, driving on the wrong side and comes within a whisker of changing the shape of my car. Do Maltese drivers cut corners to save petrol, or is it because they are always in a hurry?

More traffic police are needed to curb bad driving and prevent the plethora of accidents on our roads. But then it seems they are only available to accompany dignitaries visiting our country.