On Friday morning the country woke to the horrific news of yet another tragedy on the roads, a head-on collision in which a young mother lost her life but her 13-month-old daughter, luckily, survived.

Without knowing the family involved, one can safely assume that the mother would surely have had it that way rather than the other way around, if that could possibly be of any consolation to those grieving the senseless loss.

In Malta we are fortunate that distances covered are relatively small and that a combination of road lengths and traffic conditions rarely provide drivers the opportunity to put their vehicles to the test. One slip of the wheel, for example, on Germany’s autobahn often proves fatal. This simple fact is one that keeps Malta at the bottom of road death rankings in Europe. The potholed and bumpy roads we are so used to and about which we complain so much, may also play a factor in keeping speeds, and subsequently deaths, down.

But, after all, any single death on the roads is one too many.

On an almost daily basis, media statements from police corps, possibly the majority of them, tell of traffic accidents, many of which take place in the small hours of the morning.

Such was the case just before 5am on Thursday when the young mother found herself face-to-face with a powerful SUV driven by an 18-year-old. The details of the accident are still emerging and, as such, judgement should be reserved.

But every time such a tragedy transpires, outrage and sadness are expressed, editorials are written and authorities are called upon. Not much, however, appears to come of such calls.

What the system also needs is a root and branch reform of the way driving is taught, and, even more so, the way driving is regulated on our roads. The devil, it is said, lies in the detail. But in this case it is perhaps the guardian angel that lies in the detail.

A new set of road rules is set to be unveiled in the near future, rules that go some way toward addressing the many times absolute lack of common sense prevailing on the country’s roads. They address an array of common illegalities and impose new fines for actions such as running red lights, driving in the right hand lane when not overtaking, and driving while using or even holding a mobile phone.

It also introduces new rules and procedures for breathalyser tests.

Any improvement in the rules of the road and stiffer penalties for their violation is most welcome, but there are a number of missing elements in the new set of rules.

For starters, the legal blood alcohol content level needs be lowered. As matters stand Malta, with a limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, has the EU’s most generous, alcohol friendly legal limits – limit shared by the UK, Ireland and Luxemburg. In the UK and Ireland, at least, there are strong lobbies arguing for a reduction in the limit, but in Malta, with the exception of Sedqa, which has campaigned to bring the limit down to 50mg, a squeak rarely is heard about the subject.

Yes, Malta could do with more speed cameras, which should be placed at accident hotspots instead of at speed traps. The speed limits around speed cameras should also be raised closer to the national limit where applicable so as to eliminate the dangerous situation in which drivers speed up to cameras and suddenly slow down to a good 20kph below the prescribed limit so as to ensure they are not booked – a whole new hazard created by the speed camera culture that has been adopted by the authorities.

Malta’s driving test regime has been strengthened and tightened up significantly of late, the abuse and bribery formerly inherent in the system appears to have been at least mostly dealt with and the new tests are far, far more demanding than those of years gone by.

Those who have had driving lessons in schools in the United States and in other countries that also employ the practice will recall sitting through horrific videos showing traffic accident after traffic accident – gruesome footage that can make many wary of even taking the theory test, let alone taking to the open road.

Scaring the living daylights out of prospective drivers before they take to the roads themselves can be a traumatising experience, but one that exposes students to the grim realities and the risks of driving.

The Maltese licensing authorities would do well to consider similar tactics for young drivers about to get their licences.

While worthy strides have been taken in the licensing system, the authorities must begin concretely cracking down on driving contraventions, on even the slightest of infringements.

Those in positions of responsibility need to foster more discipline behind the wheel among the country’s ever-growing driving population. When drivers have it instilled in them, for example, to signal when making a turn, stop at zebra crossing or turn their lights on in tunnels, they will think more than twice before undertaking more dangerous manoeuvres – quite unnecessarily endangering their lives, the lives of their passengers and the lives of any pedestrians, drivers or passengers in their paths.

The multitude of blatant traffic contraventions seen on a daily basis around the country is symptomatic of the country’s all-too-often haphazard driving culture.

It is also high time that serious consideration be given to elevating the legal status of hit-and-runs from simple contraventions to full-blown criminal acts. There are few things more heinous than inflicting serious physical injury, or even death, to a pedestrian and simply driving off without looking back, without lending assistance and without, at the very least, calling an ambulance.

The list could go on and on but suffice it to mention the tragic hit and run death of Cliff Micallef, the cyclist who lost his life training for charity on the Coast Road last year, and the running over of twin girls in Attard at the end of April.

The fact that the drivers in both cases did not stop to lend assistance, is more than irresponsible, it is utterly abominable.

Those responsible for enforcing traffic laws should be cracking down harder on the petty infringements, which are so symptomatic of a wider lack of responsibility on the part of many, if not the majority, of Malta’s drivers, will help to engender more responsible attitudes across the board.

Until that happens, no amount of new road rules - which will no doubt be zealously enforced at the beginning but stand at risk of falling by the wayside as so many other rules have done – will mitigate the very clear and present dangers on our roads.

Their real enforcement, on the other hand, will.