The number of traffic tickets issued by the police this year has dropped to a five-year low, despite calls for tighter enforcement on the roads to improve safety and reduce fatalities.

While one cannot be sure if this trend is the result of a more lenient approach by the authorities or greater discipline on the roads, it comes as a surprise, as vehicle insurers have long been calling for stricter enforcement.

The decline in traffic tickets emerged from an analysis carried out on official police records covering the five-year period between 2013 and 2017.

Up to November of this year, the number of traffic tickets issued by the police averaged 4,633 per month, 23 per cent lower than in 2016. The drop is even more pronounced when compared to 2013, when the monthly average was a third higher at 6,818 tickets.

Last August, the Malta Insurance Association had called on the authorities to take measures to instil more discipline on the roads through better and regular enforcement and stronger sanctions against repeat offenders guilty of reckless driving. Back then, insurers had urged the government to broaden the penalty point system to all drivers – a measure which came into force at the start of this month.

However, the government has been accused of sending mixed messages particularly in the wake of the decision to relax the enforcement of six traffic contraventions by traffic wardens. Last March, the Local Enforcement System Agency announced that following a public consultation process, wardens would be sparing first-time offenders from a fine. Instead they started getting a written warning.

The introduction of penalty points could be a game changer

Illegal parking, noisy silencers, defective headlamps, damaged taillights, road licence not affixed to the windscreen, and missing side mirrors, front grilles or mudguards were the offences covered by the warning system.  The move, which was announced three months before the general election, was criticised by the Malta Insurance Association, who complained that it was not consulted on the matter and called for the decision to be reconsidered.

Insurers warned the measure could result in inconsistent law enforcement, as these six contraventions were punishable by police but not by a traffic warden.

A breakdown of the 2017 police tickets shows that mobile phone driving offences also declined, falling to 5,176 between January and November, down from 8,129 in 2016. The trend emerged despite concerns both by the MIA and the Local Enforcement System Agency that the doubling of the fine for such an offence, introduced last year, had not deterred motorists from using their phone while at the wheel.

Mobile phone driving offences also declined, falling to 5,176 between January and November, down from 8,129 in 2016

However, the introduction of penalty points could be a game changer as drivers may lose their licence for two months if they accumulate 12 penalty points in a year. A recurrence within a three-year period could mean that the contravener has to sit for a fresh driving test to win the licence back. In the case of illegal mobile phone use, the offence carries between three and six penalty points. Consequently, two breaches in a single year might result in a two-month licence suspension.

According to a World Health Organisation report published in 2011, drivers using a mobile phone are four times more likely to be involved in a car crash. However, the report cautions that in many countries the real extent of this problem remains unknown, as data on their use is not routinely collected when an accident occurs.

The WHO warns that the biggest danger associated with mobile phone use is ‘cognitive distraction’, which hinders motorists from keeping a proper lookout.  Such distraction results in longer reaction times to brake and notice traffic signals,  impaired ability to stay in the correct lane and failure to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

Distracted driving caused by mobile use may also have an impact on employers, as they may be held liable in case of a crash. The WHO notes that in some countries the issue is being tackled through fleet safety policies and limiting or even prohibiting mobile phone use while driving.

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

What about other traffic offences?

Police records for 2016 show that the total number of tickets issued was of 72,349, which was an eight per cent rise over 2015 when the total stood at 67,211. However, last year’s total is significantly lower than the figure for 2013 which was of 81,816.

As expected, parking-related offences are the most common contraventions that are committed, followed by mobile phone use, drivers not in complete control of the car, no use of seatbelts and failure to observe traffic lights regulations.

*Up to November