Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538131
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 AUGUST 2025 Killer roads, a road safety bureau and personal responsibility Editorial THE grim news has not stopped flowing over the past couple of weeks as road fatalities occupied substantial news space alongside other tragic world and domestic events. Today, we report on what we have described as the 'map of death'—an exercise undertaken by cycling advocacy group Rota to map every single road fatality of the past 25 years. It is not an exer- cise in curiosity but a grim memorial of each and every individual who has died as a result of road accidents. Each death is not just a number. Each death rep- resents a person, whose dreams were vanquished on our roads. Each death represents the pain en- dured by loved ones at the untimely demise of their relative, friend, acquaintance, partner, hus- band, wife, child. On 8 January, this leader expressed its concern in the wake of the first road victim of the year—a 25-year-old man who smashed his car into a crash barrier, a tree and then a metal signpost. Since then, the number of road deaths has risen to 12. Back in January, we called for the immediate cre- ation of a road safety bureau, first mooted in 2023, that would be tasked with investigating accidents to identify shortcomings in road design, driver and pedestrian behaviour, mechanical failures and anything that can help inform policy makers and road designers on the causes of accidents and oth- er risks. A road safety bureau is not intended to apportion blame—that will remain the remit of the magiste- rial inquiry—but it will serve as a single focal point for information gathering and analysis. Policy, road design, mitigation measures and educational campaigns work best when they are research-driven. And there is no better research than the data derived directly from investigations of accidents. The controversial magisterial inquiry reform pushed by the government earlier this year also included non-controversial legal changes that en- able the setting up of a Transport Safety Investiga- tive Commission. The government should not delay the setting up of this commission any further. Transport Minis- ter Chris Bonett must make this a priority. Furthermore, road safety campaigns, an in- creased presence of enforcement officials on the roads and random roadside alcohol and drug tests should extend over the full year because this will serve as a deterrent for dangerous driving. It could also save lives. Whether it is because of a moment's inattention, a sadistic willingness to drive dangerously and in the process risking their own lives and those of others, a medical condition, substance abuse or unfavourable weather and road conditions, acci- dents will always happen. But we must not resign ourselves to this fatalistic attitude. Minimising risks, educating people and increas- ing deterrence could help curb the number of ac- cidents and their severity. But the transport minister was right in parlia- ment when he also urged road users to be more respectful towards each other; obey the rules and generally be more careful when driving or using the road. We make the minister's appeal our own. There is a fair share of personal responsibility in accidents and it would be absurd to ignore this even though the tendency is to blame everything and everyone apart from ourselves. Unfortunate- ly, it has become fashionable in certain circles to blame 'society' and failures in the 'education sys- tem' for every problem, every ill, every troubling situation. Undoubtedly, there are unfortunate cas- es that boil down to systemic problems in society, in governance and in the education system. These issues must be understood and addressed through systemic changes that ensure people are treated equally, in a just way, and have access to adequate opportunities. But it would be foolish to remove personal responsibility from the equation. When a motorist decides to push the speedom- eter to the limit in a residential neighbourhood, they are engaging in risky behaviour that not on- ly endangers themselves but puts others at risk of injury and death. Of course, the authorities must do everything in their power to ensure roads are structurally safe, rules are enforced, mitigation measures are introduced… but the motorist who chooses to drive at 120km/h on a residential road should remain uniquely responsible for that dan- gerous decision. Quote of the Week "I don't know who the prime minister got his advice from on this. I wasn't involved in the drafting of these bills. Even if these advisers are legal geniuses, I don't think they were politically bright." – Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis about the planning bills tabled in parliament when interviewed on F Living. MaltaToday 10 years ago Gonzi brushes off European arrest warrant threat 2 August 2015 DAVID Gonzi, the son of former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, has shrugged off the possibility of being slapped with a Euro- pean ar rest warrant. l.ast week, Gonzi was identified in Opera- tion Gambling's 750-page dossier as having been a one-third shareholder and director in GYM Holdings, a company that provides fi- duciary services to gaming com panies who have had their licences suspended by the Malta Gaming Authority. This came after the Italian po lice busted the Calabrian ma fia 'Ndrangheta's base in Malta from where companies they set up ran a network of remote gam ing companies in- volved in mon ey laundering. In total 41 people were served with an ar- rest warrant, includ ing six Italian nationals resident in Malta. Asked whether he was aware of the possi- bility that he might also be deported to It- aly if the Calab rian police issue a European arrest warrant, Gonzi said he was informed otherwise since he is not on the list of people under investigation (indagati). Gonzi is one of the 128 persons of inter est named in the 750-page dossier com piled by the rtalian police but the lawyer insisted "I am informed by my Italian counterparts that I am not formally investigated because I'm not accused of having breached any particu- lar article." Adding that so far he has not been con tact- ed by the Italian police, Gonzi reiter ated "I will be getting in touch with the Italian po- lice in the very near future."