There are mixed opinions as to whether crash barriers along Floriana's main thoroughfare will reduce the number of fatal accidents caused by cars crashing into trees.
While former Civil Protection Department head Peter Cordina agreed crash barriers would help cushion the vehicle's impact, he strongly cautioned against creating a "false sense of security" among drivers.
"In a road like Floriana's, notorious for accidents, motorists should drive more carefully. I fear crash barriers could give a false sense of security and motorists would believe it is safe to step on the accelerator pedal," he said.
Veteran traffic expert Joe Micallef Stafrace insisted crash barriers would not make much difference to drivers and passengers who collided with them at high speed.
"I don't think a crash barrier will reduce the risk of serious impact. After all, it is also a hard object," he insisted, adding that nothing replaced cautious driving as a safety measure.
Crash barriers could protect pedestrians, he added, but, given the width of the pavement and the fact that the area was not used a lot by people, he would rather not have them installed.
"They would be an eyesore in such a lovely road. We cannot end up with crash barriers lining every inch of our streets," he said. Dr Micallef Stafrace and Mr Cordina also pointed out that the circumstances of each traffic accident were different and had to be evaluated accordingly.
On Sunday, a 20-year-old woman died on impact after the car she was a passenger in spun out of control and crashed into a tree. The driver, another young woman, sustained serious injuries.
The accident happened in St Anne Street, just before Portes des Bombes in the direction of Ħamrun. Only a month ago, a young man died in the same sport on the opposite lane when the car he was a passenger in also crashed into a tree.
The accident prompted calls from people for the erection of crash barriers along the bottom part of St Anne Street between the lion fountain and Portes des Bombes.
Writing in The Times on Monday, Jean Karl Soler, a medical doctor, said that in three instances when he stopped to offer medical assistance at car crash sites, he realised the "greatest dangers" on the roads were "hard obstacles by the roadside".
An impact with a hard object causes rapid deceleration, which, according to Dr Soler, is "highly lethal".
He called for the erection of crash barriers in St Anne Street as well as the road leading up to Rabat.