Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/864549
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2017 7 News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Whilst there are a multitude of factors that contribute to the accidents, during summer, people stay out longer, there are more parties, more alcohol is consumed and more drugs are around. "Especially in early morning accidents, we're seeing the con- tribution of cocaine, heroine and synthetic marijuana. The use of mobile phones is still a major issue and texting is a phenomenon that just keeps growing." Sounding almost frustrated, Joslin told MaltaToday that despite the fatalities, no one seems to be listening. "The ones who are dying are young. How many more educational campaigns can be done? It's down to the people who need to start listening. People must understand that their actions have consequences." Whilst data released by the National Statistics Office con- firms an increase in both the number of cars and, separately, the increase in traffic accidents, experts agree that indiscipline is one of the major causes of road accidents. "Malta is a small country, with a big heart but we're un- disciplined and selfish," former Assistant Police Commissioner Josie Brincat candidly told Mal- taToday. "Drivers are arrogant and over speed: the impact of over speeding is evident from the in- juries sustained. If one is care- less, but driving within limits, the injuries sustained will not be as grievous as when one is speeding." Similarly, Adrian Galea – president of the Malta Insur- ance Association and member of the Malta Road Safety Coun- cil – argued that whilst, on av- erage, Maltese drivers are good drivers, yet behaviour on the road could be erratic, or incon- sistent at best. Galea draws comparison be- tween student drivers, and li- censed drivers: "We do know what is required to drive well. However, the sad reality is that we couldn't be bothered. Some may attribute this to a 'Medi- terranean culture', in that given the chance, 'I'll break the law'." According to Galea, Nordic countries are the example to follow, where discipline "reigns supreme". "Discipline is good for the roads, because you don't have to guess whether the other driver is going to obey a stop sign or a red light or going to give way at a roundabout; whether one is going to overtake even if road markings prohibit it," Galea added. The second-guessing is ren- dering Malta's driving patterns, and traffic in general, chaotic simply because of lack of disci- pline, he said. Brincat, considered one of Malta's top traffic experts, in- sisted with MaltaToday that there were four key principles in tackling the increase in traf- fic accidents: road infrastruc- ture, education, enforcement and deterrents. "Educational campaigns should be all year round and not just during Christmas or summer time: unfortunately, a lot of campaigns are done in hiccups but they need to be ongoing and consistent. This educational drive needs to be at all levels – including at primary schools," Brincat said. The Road Safety Council, Galea confirmed, is touring most schools and dishing out tips to encourage road safety. He also argued that the pres- ence of enforcement officers – be it police officers, Transport Malta officials or wardens – needs to be seen and felt. "What's the point of some- one simply receiving a fine for texting while driving, when the officer could have actu- ally stopped the driver and in- formed him of the consequenc- es of his actions? Fines need to act as a deterrent as well." For Brincat, enforcement of- ficers need to stay alert all the time for all offences – no mat- ter how big or small they might be. Impatience is a main contrib- uting factor to driving indis- cipline. "If we decide to jump the queue, or decide to switch lanes at the last second, such behaviour is bound to cause ac- cidents and slow traffic down," Galea told MaltaToday. He went on to add that driving distraction is often overlooked: "Driving distraction comes not only in form of texting, but also in smoking, eating or drinking and applying makeup." Galea admitted that whilst fines have been revised, drivers have not been deterred from taking the risk. Like Brincat, Galea proposed education and sanctions to deal with the problem. "Edu- cating the younger generation increases the chances of devel- oping better drivers tomorrow and correcting the habits of their parents." Whilst the Road Safety Coun- cil has launched several cam- paigns for the more experi- enced drivers, Galea argued that drivers themselves could contribute as well. "Why should we exceed a 60Km or 50Km speed limit just because there are no cam- eras? Does it ever occur to us, that people could be crossing or that the roads may be slip- pery?" But education alone is not enough: "Malta is still one of the few countries where pen- alty points apply solely to pro- bationary drivers. A strong de- terrent is needed on our roads, and this should be a mix of hefty financial penalties (fines) and penalty points accumulat- ed on a driving licence – risk- ing revocation of a licence." Responsibility comes in dif- ferent ways and forms, and may not only be limited to drivers: on his part, Brincat argued that adult pedestrians should always make sure that the children are walking on the pavement, away from the cars; passengers on the backseat – irrespective of their age – must always wear a seatbelt and chil- dren should be forbidden from sitting in the middle. If a driver notices a rental car in front of him, or a foreign number plate, he must be aware that the driver of that car could be a foreigner and not used to Malta's road system. Brincat insisted that, by law, anyone sitting on the backseat must wear a seatbelt. For sanctions to be applied fairly and uniformly, Galea proposed the use of mobile speed cameras. IMPORTANT NOTICE SMALL SHIPS REGISTER The Small Ships Register (SSR) will be closed on Friday 25th August 2017. Normal service will resume on Monday 28th August 2017. Apologies for any inconvenience. www.transport.gov.mt Drivers' indiscipline is main cause of road accidents Death on the roads: an overturned car draws the attention of a bystander