Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538262
GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 8 AUGUST 2025 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The highest number of traffic accidents in Gozo were report- ed in Rabat (86), Xewkija (44), Għajnsielem (31), Nadur (25) and Qala (22). The total number of reported traffic accidents across Malta and Gozo during the second quarter of 2025 reached 4,026, down by 9.2 per cent over the same period in 2024. The Northern Harbour dis- trict registered the most acci- dents with 1,366 cases or 33.9 per cent of all accidents. Road traffic casualties de- creased by 16.1 per cent to 343 over the same period in 2024. Grievously injured persons amounted to 108, and consisted of 73 drivers, 13 passengers and 22 pedestrians/cyclists/others. The injuries suffered by three drivers, a pedestrian and a cy- clist proved fatal. During this quarter, two more fatalities were registered when compared to the same period in 2024. The majority of those griev- ously injured were males (69.4 per cent). Moreover, the fatal- ities that occurred during this quarter involved four males and a female. With regard to age, 39.4 per cent of the casualties involved persons in the 26 to 40 age bracket. The largest number of road traffic casualties (45.8 per cent) involved passenger cars, fol- lowed by motorcycles (42.9 per cent) and goods-carrying vehi- cles (4.1 per cent). The fatalities included a driver colliding with another vehicle, two drivers crashing into a property, a pe- destrian being hit by a vehicle and a cyclist being hit by a ve- hicle. Cyclists involved in traffic ac- cidents amounted to 13, where one suffered a fatal injury, three suffered grievous injuries and nine suffered slight injuries. Road traffic casualties result- ing from accidents between ve- hicles topped the list with 63.6 per cent of all road traffic casu- alties. The highest number of road traffic casualties occurred on Thursdays with 58 casualties, and the highest number of road traffic accidents occurred on Tuesdays with 645 cases or 16.0 per cent of the total. The time bracket with the highest number of road traf- fic accidents occurred between 09:00 – 11:59 with 884 cases or 22.0 per cent of the total, fol- lowed by the 12:00 – 14:59 time bracket with 880 cases. The least number of accidents occurring daily took place between 03:00 – 05:59 with 33 cases. The highest incidence of road traffic accidents was registered in San Pawl Il-Baħar with 240 cases, followed by Birkirkara and Ħal Qormi, with 226 and 210 cases respectively. All districts recorded a de- crease in road traffic accidents when compared to the second quarter of the previous year. The South Eastern district registered the highest percent- age decrease in road traffic acci- dents at 15.7 per cent, whereas the Southern Harbour district recorded the lowest percentage decrease at 1.2 per cent. Highest number of traffic accidents in Gozo recorded in Rabat and Xewkija Road traffic accidents by period and locality IN recent years, safety in Mal- ta has taken a serious hit, The Nationalist Party said in a state- ment about the deteriorating public safety in Malta. This problem has now clearly spread to Gozo as well, Darren Carabott, shadow minister for home affairs, security and re- forms, and Alex Borg, shadow minister for Gozo, said in the statement. They said that, following Wednesday's incident in Mġarr, Gozo - which left a person hos- pitalised with serious injuries - it is time for the government to wake up, open its eyes, and most importantly, find the political will to guarantee that the Maltese and Gozitan people can feel safe and secure in their own country. "The situation in Gozo has worsened significantly in recent years. The Partit Nazzjonalista has raised the alarm more than once, urging Government to in- crease police presence and secu- rity on the island," the statement read. "Yet these calls have con- tinuously fallen on deaf ears." The two spokespersons said that one of the biggest contribu- tors to the lack of safety in towns and villages is the absence of po- lice stations. "Here too, the Partit Nazzjon- alista has made repeated pres- sure for the Minister to ensure that every locality is served by an operational station." Borg and Carabott said that there are now more villages without a police station than those with one. The entire island of Gozo is currently being served by just two stations: one in Rabat and the other in Mġarr. "This is not how a competent Government safeguards its peo- ple. The Labour Government has cultivated a mentality of im- punity where those who behave badly suffer no real consequenc- es." The PN called on the govern- ment to reverse this mentality and immediately begin provid- ing all the necessary resources so that the Maltese and Gozitans can live in their country without fear. Public safety in Gozo a major concern, PN says Darren Carabott (left), shadow minister for home affairs, security and reforms, and Alex Borg (right), shadow minister for Gozo, said it is time for the government to wake up