How worrying is Malta’s traffic accident problem?
Is Malta’s growing traffic accident rate linked with an astonishing increase in the number of registered vehicles?
Government statistics paint a worrying picture where traffic accidents on our roads are concerned.
147 people have died in traffic accidents in Malta in the past 10 years. 21 people died in 2009 alone.
3,794 traffic accidents, two of which were fatal, occurred between April and June of this year. This represents a 1.3% increase from the same period last year.
Speaking to Sunday newspaper ILLUM, legal procurator Mario Buttigieg said the rising number of cars on our roads is translating into an increased level of danger.
Statistics show that the amount of registered vehicles in Malta increased by 10,300 in the past year. Between April and June this year, no less than 5,000 new cars were registered. On the other side of the scale, only 2,900 cars were officially ‘retired’ in the same time frame.
Buttigieg also said that more people than usual are being caught on their mobile phones while driving, driving without a seatbelt, or driving straiught through a red traffic light.
“Drivers and pedestrians alike need to concentrate more,” Buttigieg said.
Read the full feature story in Sunday’s edition of ILLUM
