Sundays are usually quiet days, at least by newsroom standards. Nothing usually happens, apart from the usual political speeches. But last Sunday the country woke up to the terrible news that another youth had died on Malta’s roads.

The 21-yeard-old, described as a racing enthusiast, lost control of his powerful Honda Civic on the four-lane Aldo Moro Road, in a straight part of the road, and crashed onto a pavement and into an area with trees.

We will not go into the merits of this particular case, and we will also not make any assumptions about the crash, which is still being investigated by the competent authorities. But this latest tragedy brings with it the usual question – should young drivers be driving such powerful cars?

Maybe the time has come for the law, and insurance companies, to cap engine power for drivers with less than, say, three or four years’ driving experience. The suggestion is to impose a probationary period for young drivers during which they would only be able to drive average cars. Not golf carts, but not super cars either. This would ensure that drivers get the necessary experience before moving on to more powerful motors.

Some local insurance companies already have a scheme which allows them to monitor how young drivers perform on the roads. The monitoring is done through a tracking device fixed under the car bonnet. It encourages new drivers to be careful on the roads, and rewards them for doing so. This is a good start, but it is not a complete deterrent.

Many young drivers experiment with high speeds, mainly for the thrill of it. But even the best drivers among us can make mistakes. On the road, at high speeds, the slightest of errors can lead to tragedy.

No one is perfect. Even Formula 1 drivers, considered to be the best of the best, crash their cars. The chances that a young driver (especially if sitting behind the wheel of a performance car) crashes, are even bigger.

This was highlighted a few weeks ago when a court delivered judgement on an accident that took place in 2010. The driver was speeding at 105km/h in an SUV on a Naxxar road when he crashed into a car driven by a young mother and her baby. The mother died instantly. Fortunately the baby survived. The driver had only been given his license a few days prior.

To make matters worse, the court only fined him €80 and ordered him to carry out some 350 hours of community work – for killing a person. The courts have proved that when it comes to such cases, they are unable to set an example.

Maybe it is now the turn of the authorities and the insurance companies to take up the task. Until now, every new driver can own and drive a Ferrari if they (or their parents) can afford the insurance. Changing the system might not prove to be very popular in terms of votes, but the safety of our youngsters, and indeed of any other person using the road, whether motorist, cyclist or pedestrian, should surely come before politics and popularity.