A few days ago, the Italian city of Verona carried out an exercise that led to some shocking results – some 45 per cent of drivers that were stopped and underwent a breathalyser test were found to be driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, or both.

It meant that nearly half of the drivers on the road were a danger to themselves and to others, and these results have pushed the government into planning similar exercises in other cities, just to check if Verona is a one-off or whether the same thing is happening elsewhere too.

The breathalyser exercise in Verona came in the wake of serious traffic accidents – not only in this north-eastern town – that took place during summer. Several people were killed by drivers who were not in full control of their senses because they had consumed too much alcohol or had taken drugs. In one instance, a man drove his vehicle at excessive speed against the flow of traffic on a highway, ending up killing himself and another driver following a head-on crash.

Most of such accidents in Italy took place during weekends, and mostly involved young drivers who were returning home after spending Saturday night out in discotheques or night clubs.

What is happening in Malta? Are we – God forbid – anywhere close to what is taking place in Malta? Are the authorities doing enough to check that Maltese drivers are fit to drive? Are drivers being made to feel responsible for themselves, the passengers with them in their car and other drivers and pedestrians? Or are we waiting for the next accident to happen to debate the subject, and maybe do something about it?

There was a lot of hype when breathalyser tests were introduced locally a few years ago. But little has been heard since and one wonders what has happened, and whether such tests are still being carried out. The law still exists, but it seems that it is so only on paper. Is it still being applied and has anyone been caught driving under the influence? If yes, what action has been taken? If no, why are laws enacted and not implemented?

The latest figures supplied by the National Statistics Office show that 40 per cent of traffic casualties – people hurt following traffic accidents – in the second quarter of this year were people injured in crashes that took place between Fridays and Sundays. The statistics do not specify at what time of day were such accidents reported, and neither do they speak about the entity of the victims’ injuries, but it is clear that with more people out to entertain themselves during the weekend, and with people drinking more alcohol and abusing drugs on Friday and Saturday nights, there is a tendency that more traffic accidents take place during weekends.

If we think that we are doing enough to control the situation by banning alcohol in Paceville streets, then we are completely wrong. Alcohol is consumed excessively in bars and other establishments, and reports of people being caught in possession of drugs abound, meaning that the problem is far from being under control.

Added to this, the problem of alcohol and drug abuse “spills” on to the streets when the people who abuse are driving. This is something that we have given little attention to over the past years, and yet it is there. We will only speak about it when somebody gets killed or maimed in an accident.

There should be a concerted effort by the authorities to make people aware of the risks of drinking and driving (and drug taking and driving), and this not only when Christmas is approaching.

And maybe the authorities should think of doing an exercise similar to that of Verona. We might be in for some shocking news too.