Spring brought along heftier fines for traffic offences. Those who run a red light will be slapped with a €100 fine, those who use a priority vehicle lane, such as one restricted to buses, in an abusive way will be fined €50 and drivers using their mobile phone while driving risk paying a €100 fine.

Fines are a significant deterrent and effective. In the majority of cases, motorists will abide by the Highway Code mainly because they are unwilling to fork out money rather than as a result of their awareness that careless driving endangers passengers, fellow drivers and other road users such as pedestrians.

The same can be said for speed cameras. Those driving at speed will slow down as they approach a speed camera not because going too fast is dangerous but because they would not want to be nabbed and, consequently, having to pay a fine.

But it would be wrong to think that fines on their own will do the trick. Fines are just one element of the action that can be taken to encourage respectful driving. So, however sufficient fines may be, there would need to be a more holistic approach to effective traffic management. This must range from higher standards in road construction and infrastructure to an efficient public transport, green transport initiatives and a driving culture that respects fellow road users.

Another element in this approach is the intelligent traffic management system that Transport Malta launched earlier this year. The system, which is still in its first phase, includes variable message and lane-changing signs and will provide motorists with real-time traffic updates. This is intended to effectively direct traffic and limit congestion.

The plans is for the project to be expanded over the next few years to include a network of closed-circuitcameras. These, we are told, will enable personnel at a dedicated control centre to monitor traffic in real time and react accordingly.

At present, this intelligent traffic management system does not seem to be too ‘intelligent’ and its use is still very limited, at least from the road users’ point of view, to communicating messages, such as to not make or receive calls while driving, to only use the right lane to overtake and to not drink and drive.

While such messages are laudable in their intent – which is to educate drivers – their scope is limited if other measures are not taken. One of the main measures is to increase traffic police presence to exercise more discipline. An abusive driver may ignore signage but not traffic police.

Such a presence would be conducive to work against two of the more common driving abuses that contribute, in no small manner, to the daily traffic jams and accidents: slow driving on the overtaking lane and speeding.

Speeding is a serious issue, especially due to the greater accessibility to high-performance vehicles.

Just to mention one example: Civil Aviation Avenue and Ħal Far Road are transformed, every Saturday night and all day on Sunday, into a racetrack, with drivers pushing their high-powered cars to a reckless limit, causing noise pollution and endangering their lives and that of others.

While increasing traffic fines and introducing an intelligent traffic management system are good initiatives, they will not work on their own. A holistic approach is needed to instil greater discipline on the roads. Otherwise, driving in Malta will remain what it is now: an accident waiting to happen.