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A map produced by cycling ad- vocacy group, Rota, charting all the people who died in road accidents is a grim reminder of how deadly Malta's roads can be. So far, in 2025, 17 people have died as a result of traffic accidents. Six people have died within a few days in July alone, while another five died in June. These deaths include six pe- destrians, five motorcyclists, five people who died in a car, and one bicycle rider. But these deaths are not just statistics, Rota says on its web- site. After each death, victims leave behind families, friends, and communities and the pur- pose of the Road Deaths Map published on the website is to recall each and every victim. The map is a database of all road deaths since 2000, doc- umenting the location of the accidents and whether the vic- tims were pedestrians, drivers, motorcycle drivers, bus driv- ers, or other profiles. But the map is also accompa- nied by a photo gallery showing the victims' faces, each repre- senting a life that ended too soon. Speaking to MaltaToday, Ser- gio Sammut, who is part of Ro- ta's policy team, explained that the map serves as a memorial for each victim, stressing that some of these deaths could have been avoided. But Sammut notes that the memorial can help authorities to "wake up and smell the cof- fee," as well as to highlight cer- tain fatality hotspots. Indeed, when one zooms into the map, the Coast Road that stretches from St Paul's Bay to Pembroke is clearly a hotspot for accidents. Other main thor- oughfares also stand out. Sammut explains that roads themselves are not usually re- sponsible for fatal accidents, pointing his finger to the lo- cal culture around driving. "If I know that I won't get caught driving while drunk, then I'm more likely to do it," Sammut says. He describes the recently launched updated Malta Road Code, as a positive step for- ward, but questions whether it makes sense that drivers aren't required to take their test again after decades of driving. While acknowledging that there is no single action that can reduce or eliminate road deaths, Sammut says that the introduction of presumed lia- bility in accidents resulting in injuries or death can make a difference. Presumed liability is the au- tomatic liability of drivers of vehicles that can injure or kill vulnerable road users. This, Sammut explains, can be one of many measures that ensures justice to injured or killed road users, adding that this encour- ages drivers to be safer when using the roads. A virtual memorial - Paolo Cassar Manghi Paolo Cassar Manghi, a for- mer member of Rota who start- ed the database of road deaths back in 2017 tells MaltaToday the idea behind the database is to ensure that victims are nev- er forgotten. He is one of the countless individuals who lost friends in road accidents. On the wider picture con- cerning Maltese roads, Manghi notes that while enforcement is frequently mentioned as a solu- tion to road deaths, he insists that the roads themselves must be designed in a manner that prevents speeding and ensures vulnerable road users' safety. He further comments on the lack of will to reduce the num- ber of cars on Malta's roads, explaining that traffic eventu- ally leads to road rage or reck- less driving. "I think we should no longer think of getting from A to B as some sort of race," he says. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 AUGUST 2025 NEWS The Presidency's Cultural Programme Expression of interest The Office of the Presidency of Malta is keen to hear from local performers interested in featuring in the first season of the Presidency's Cultural Programme, commencing in October 2025. The call is open to soloists and ensembles of up to five performers, including woodwind, strings, brass, and percussion, as well as voice, with a representative repertoire spanning from early to contemporary music. Applicants are invited to send notice of interest to be considered for the Presidency's Cultural Programme at the latest by 30 August 2025, noon. More information on president.gov.mt/presidentculturalprogramme The faces behind Malta's road fatalities