About a third of motorists who died in traffic accidents between 1995 and 2006 were over the alcohol limit, a new study has found.
A three-strong team of re-searchers found that 16 out of 42 drivers, all male, who died on the spot in the 12-year period had a level of blood alcohol above the permissible 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres limit.
Two drivers were found to have taken illegal drugs.
The researchers are now recommending a lower blood alcohol legal limit for drivers.
Malta's alcohol limit is identical to the UK's but higher than that of other EU countries, which stands at 50 milligrams in most member states, although it drops to as low as two milligrams per 100 millilitres in some.
It is usual practice as part of magisterial inquiries into road accidents to check the blood alcohol levels of victims who die on the spot. Such a procedure, however, is not possible when victims are taken to hospital and receive emergency medical treatment because their blood levels would be diluted and, thus, impossible to interpret. This means the researchers - Bridget Ellul, Kathleen England and Michael Sammut - were unable to obtain results pertaining to another 16 drivers who died following road accidents in the period they studied.
However, even if all such tests had been negative, that would still leave 28 per cent of all drivers in fatal incidents with a high level of alcohol in their blood, "which is still a high percentage", the researchers said.
The study, they add, points towards a worrying trend of drink-driving. Unsurprisingly, 81 per cent of fatal traffic accidents involving alcohol took place at night and were often on main roads.
The researchers embarked on the study because they wanted objective figures to support their impression of a link between drink driving and fatal traffic accidents in a young population. In fact, the average age of drivers, including those who died in hospital, was 31.
"We recommend more emphasis on awareness campaigns, particularly in schools and youth institutions as well as more surveillance and alcohol testing by the police," the researchers said.
The study was presented in the recent medical conference. Dr Ellul and Prof. Sammut are from the University's Department of Pathology and Dr England from the government's Department of Health Information.