Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539444
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 SEPTEMBER 2025 INTERVIEW Nicholas Vella: 'Data showed high incidence of people driving under the influence' TESTS on drivers involved in se- rious road accidents and fatalities were revealing a high incidence of people driving under the influence, Nicholas Vella says. Vella's words underpin the latest drive by the authorities to clamp down on drink and drug driving through legal reforms that are ex- pected to be tabled in parliament when it reopens on Monday 15 September. Vella is the superintendent re- sponsible for the police's Roads Po- licing Unit (RPU), a recently set up section tasked with enforcement of traffic and road rules. I sit down with Vella in his office in Floriana after a summer, which saw traffic fatalities and accidents dominate news headlines. Vella tells me the unit he heads is already producing results, with data collection and evidence gathering helping in more efficient court pro- ceedings and quicker convictions. He explains that officers within the unit have received special train- ing and increased resources to in- vestigate traffic accidents involving injuries or fatalities. "With the investment in equip- ment, officers are more capable of data collection, and also are more capable of pinpointing the reason for the accident. There could be information which is brought for- ward as evidence in court if a per- son is charged, and you could have information which is passed on to the different authorities like Trans- port Malta in order to address a shortcoming which could be lead- ing to a repeat of that accident," he says. Vella tells me data collection on accidents, which is part of the RPU's remit, assists different gov- ernmental bodies in addressing shortcomings on the road network. Questioned on whether over-speeding is part of Maltese driving culture, Vella says one has to look at the wider European con- text. He points out that trends show that further north in the continent, one can see higher frequency of driving under the influence, but over-speeding is more prevalent in the southern region. On drug testing and breathalys- ers, Vella says that while currently allowed by law, the process will be streamlined under the proposed legislation. "Right now, for a police officer to carry out a test, the officer has to have reasonable suspicion that the person was driving under the influ- ence. Disobeying traffic rules, errat- ic driving are also reasonable suspi- cion for a breathalyser to be carried out," he says. "Drug tests used to be carried out, but were only allowed if during an inquiry a magistrate gives their go-ahead for a blood sample to be taken. The new process will be more streamlined." Superintendent Nicholas Vella heads the new police unit tasked with enforcing road regulations and investigating accidents. He sits down with the Karl Azzopardi to talk about the unit's work, the driving culture and the growing prevalence of drink and drug driving.