Malta is not a member of the European Road Assessment Programme, better known as EuroRap, an initiative dedicated to road-safety methodologies and assessment, and there is no intention to join in the future. The programme has representation in 18 European countries. However, Malta is still not on the list.
Some countries which participate in EuroRapare not members of the European Union, such as Israel and Albania, but they also take part in this programme. The 18 countries are represented through various transport organisations including civil society, road authorities, Government departments, road safety organisations and research institutions.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport said that Malta does not form part of any international road safety assessment initiative, and it appears, after questions sent by this newsroom, that there is no interest to do so in the future.
The European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) is an international not for profit association set up in 1999 and registered in Belgium that is dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.
The programme aims to reduce death and serious injury through a programme of systematic assessment of risk, identifying the major shortcomings that can be addressed by practical road improvement measures. It forges partnerships between those responsible for a safe road system and aims “to ensure that assessment of risk lies at the heart of strategic decisions on route improvements, crash protection and standards of route management”.
Maltese roads have witnessed some terrible accidents in the last few weeks. 17-year-old Tara Licari, is the most recent in the list of victims. The accident occurred on Tuesday in Kappara, when a car driven by the victim’s brother, crashed into a wall.
Earlier this month, motorcyclist Nick Agius who was driving through the tunnels in Tal Qroqq, lost his life when his Honda motorcycle crashed into a wall. Eleven persons have died in traffic accidents so far this year.
According to a road safety report published by the European Union in 2015, European roads claimed the life of more than 25,000 people in the year 2014. The report mentions how Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and Malta have the lowest reported road fatality rate, below 30 dead per million inhabitants.
The highest road fatality rates are reported from Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland with more than 80 dead per million inhabitants.