At this time of the year, pleas are made for the police to get tough on drinking and driving. We have just had a number of fatalities on the road, which have had an impact on the public’s awareness of the risks of dangerous driving.

However, as someone who has worked in Paceville for over 10 years told me online, “Unfortunately, the drinking season is all the year round, every weekend in fact.” Binge drinking seems to be the rage, which should give us some indication that our young are extremely bored.

The same applies to drugs. But we should be reading more about people being stopped by the police and breathalysed, rather than soldiers with guns stopping people to find a small amount of marijuana.

As to the latter, the worst traffickers don’t get caught in road blocks, unless there is an organised sting, even then police are involved elsewhere not the army.

Army roadblocks are usually held in countries that are either at war or on terrorist alert.

Getting back to the main theme, any campaigns to stop people driving while high as kites are commendable and there is no doubt that this time of the year is a high-risk season. But not all accidents are drink or drugs related.

The problem is more widespread. Too many drivers are just not fit to hold a licence. They are the ones who break all the rules by driving too fast, never using their indicator, swanning out of side streets, going the wrong way up one way streets, ignoring road signs, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings (even when people are already crossing) and who basically cannot drive.

Some of these people drive buses, taxis, coaches and minivans.

Many are of the opinion that the problem lies with lack of enforcement and a lot is being said about transport reform right now.

However, the reform has to include law enforcement if it is to work. Anyway, we cannot afford to wait before action is taken on road hogs.

I was nearly run over in the middle of a pedestrian crossing by a bus whose driver was on his mobile phone, only a month or so ago. People use their mobile phones while driving all the time, especially public transport drivers.

The police or wardens could start by booking those drivers and all cars parked on the zigzags of pedestrian crossings.

The latter are not there for decoration, but to give motorists a clear view of anybody about to cross.

I noticed a car parked on the actual crossing blocking access to it, right in front of the elderly centre in Sliema, as I drove past the other day and this is not an isolated occurrence. Are people really that ignorant, or just plain selfish?

The only time I see wardens is when there is a crane or some such obstruction on the road. Eight times out of 10, they are ignoring the traffic and having a smoke and a chat.

Anyone blatantly breaking the law right in front of them is not their concern, only the crane is. Imagine getting them to walk and chew gum!

The speed cameras sometimes create more of a danger then prevention, because you get some drivers who ignore them completely and others who overreact and drive too slowly.

This could occur because the speed limit in camera zones varies and not all zones have the limit clearly visible.

People trying to keep to the limit find it difficult to change lanes because drivers in the outside lane are going too fast and those on the inner lane are too slow.

Sometimes you get the reverse and the outer lane is moving at a crawling pace and the inner is impossible to access because of cars going too fast.

But what concerns me most and makes me really nervous is the lane slaloming at high speeds in the tunnels, even when there are supposed to be speed cameras. These drivers need to be stopped before we see more people killed in road accidents.

I am not as shocked as I used to be when I see people driving badly. Unfortunately, I have been living here for too long now and I sometimes succumb to the one thing that used to really annoy me in other people when I first came back – shrugging my shoulders and saying “Memx x’tghamel”.

But when we get a series of fatal and dreadful accidents, my horror and indignation return.

First, I was reminded on 10 December of the awful accident where two young girls were killed on the Mriehel bypass four years ago.

Why did the case take so long to be heard? It is insensitive to the victims’ families and unfair on the driver and his family to have such a case hanging on for years.

As I commented online, I was not in favour of witch-hunts but the court decision was confusing to say the least.

How could the magistrate say the driver was “at the very least” guilty of careless driving in terms of Article 225 of Chapter 9 of the Criminal Code and had not been keeping a proper lookout. Yet, ruled he was not driving negligently?

“Careless” and “negligent” are synonymous.

I am sure the young driver was devastated and will have to live with the nightmare for the rest of his life, but the courts are there to penalise those who break the law.

What kind of signal are judgments like this giving the many reckless drivers on the road? Cars can be weapons, they kill and maim. Judgements should reflect this.

I was still upset by that memory of the unwarranted loss of young lives when a few days later, on the evening of Saturday 12 December, a 54-year-old German woman died after she was hit by a car in Ghajnsielem, Gozo.

Later that evening, an elderly couple died following another traffic accident in St Paul’s Bay, when their car was hit at speed by an oncoming vehicle.

The following day, Sunday, a 62-year-old man from San Gwann ended up in hospital following a traffic accident in Triq is-Salini, Naxxar. At least his condition was not critical.

That same morning we read that a 19-year-old motorcyclist was in a critical condition following another traffic accident in Hal Far.

On Sunday evening a 25-year-old woman from Zebbug was hit by a bus as she was crossing Constitution Street, Mosta. She ended up in hospital although it was reported that her life was not in danger.

A EuroSafe report published on Wednesday said that motorcyclists and pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users in Malta. The proportion of road fatalities among pedestrians is only marginally lower than 23 per cent of road fatalities for motorcyclists and is higher than the EU average.

The proportion of road fatalities among motorcyclists in Malta was the highest among all countries participating in the project.

That same evening a 63-year-old man from Qormi ended up in hospital after he was hit by a car while crossing Mdina Road, Qormi. He was lucky and his condition was never critical.

Accidents happen and it was not my intention to write a diatribe on the drivers concerned in the accidents mentioned. Drivers are not always at fault, but they are the ones in charge of a potential lethal weapon and as such carry the brunt of the responsibility.

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