Malta’s traffic police will soon start using handheld speed guns to curb speeding – the main cause of road deaths – The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

The state-of-the-art equipment will be used randomly on various roads, especially those where drivers tend to exceed the speed limit. Police Inspector Sergio Pisani, the deputy head of the Malta Police traffic section, told The Sunday Times of Malta that the equipment has been ordered and is expected to be delivered soon.

The police have been testing it for quite some time to ensure that the handheld guns on order are foolproof and can be used in any circumstances.

“They are going to be introduced very soon. We’re awaiting delivery, so we’ll start using them imminently. We tested them and they’re fabulous. It’s the latest technology.

“The ultimate aim is to reduce deaths on Malta’s roads. We want to instill discipline in drivers, because at the end of the day, they are endangering their lives but also the lives of others,” Inspector Pisani said.

He said that the police must put up signs to warn drivers that the handheld guns are being used, because there is also a law against entrapment.

Cars caught speeding will be stopped immediately and the driver fined or informed they will receive a summons to appear in court if they are caught committing other violations, such as crossing lanes haphazardly or driving negligently.

The ultimate aim is to reduce deaths on Malta’s roads. We want to instil discipline in drivers

The inspector said that during the testing period, several drivers were caught going over the speed limit. The Malta police took part in a Europe-wide “speeding marathon” the night between Wednesday and Thursday of this week. A total of 14 cars were caught speeding.

According to the latest statistics, Malta has a very poor record when it comes to road deaths.

Despite being the smallest EU Member State, Malta was the only country in the European Union to report an increase in road fatalities between 2010 and 2017.

According to data published by the European Commission, road fatalities on the island shot up by 46 per cent in the period under review. All the other 27 Member States reported a drop, ranging from one per cent in the Netherlands to 41 per cent in Greece.

Malta’s police will soon start using handheld cameras like this, especially on roads where drivers tend to exceed the speed limit. Photo: ShutterstockMalta’s police will soon start using handheld cameras like this, especially on roads where drivers tend to exceed the speed limit. Photo: Shutterstock

Malta registered a 17 per cent drop in road deaths last year compared to 2016.

There were 14,940 traffic accidents in 2017 and a total of 19 fatalities, NSO statistics show.

A total of 25,300 people died on Europe’s roads last year, 300 fewer than in 2016 and 6,200 below the 2010 figure. It is estimated that another 135,000 people were seriously injured.

So far this year, two motorcyclists have died on Malta’s roads: Giulio Baldacchino, 44, from Mellieħa last month, and Denilson Justin Briffa, 19, who died just two days ago while driving his motorcycle through Birkirkara Road, St Julian’s.

The death, also last month, of Daryl Alosio on the Coast Road is not being treated as a traffic accident, as an autopsy revealed that Mr Alosio had probably died of natural causes before he lost control and crashed into a barrier.

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