The government is proposing to reform the warden system and the Malta Insurance Association is anxious that the current system should not be changed.

“If the system is working well at the moment, it should not be changed – unless it is improved. That is what we are interested in,” MIA director general Adrian Galea said.

The front-to-rear collision form has been a great success, cutting down on congestion as the drivers would otherwise have to wait for a warden, as well as on the expense involved. It is not widely known that the charge for calling out a warden is shared equally by the insurance companies covering the cars involved, irrespective of who is to blame for the collision.

Around a third of collisions are front-to-rear and the MIA believes that the self-reporting system could easily be extended to other types of collision, but only if there were an appropriate awareness campaign.

“Abroad the drivers take photos and then move their cars out of the way, leaving it up to the insurance companies to sort out. We are not at that stage yet. Perhaps we are Mediterranean and do not trust each other?” he asked.