The 1981 World Rally Champion, European Finn Ari Vatanen (photo) is very well known among Maltese motor sports followers for his spectactular rally feats.

Vatanan will be the guest at the first edition of the Gozo Grand Sprint being organised on the sister island this weekend.

He has no doubt risked his life in some of these rallies and it is not the first time that he overturned his car. There were times when he raced his car at the edge of a huge precipice!

As a well trained and professional driver Ari knew what he was doing and for some time he earned his living through rallies.

What some Maltese enthusiasts might not know is that Ari has spent 10 years as a Member of the European Parliament, between 1999 and 2009, when he became known as the champion on car taxation. He was the substitute member on the Committee for Transport and Tourism.

There is no doubt that he was the driving force behind the 2005 report on road safety and the European Road safety Action Programme which had the objective of reducing road accidents in Europe by half by this year – 2010.

Evidently, public transport in Europe does not consist solely of buses, as there are other modes of public transport including trains. As a professional racing driver Ari could hardly watch billions of money being spent on railways and other trans-continent networks while the use of the small car was being curtailed.

Ari maintains that in Europe accidents cannot be reduced by shifting people or goods to trains, because rail traffic is just a fraction of that on the roads. The same is likely to be true in Malta with reference to buses. Road safety needs to be addressed in a different way.

Quite rightly, Ari believes that there should be a reasonable balance between investment on public transport systems and the building of public roads for cars and lorries. He is against excessive taxation on car users while huge budgets for public transport systems are subsidised. Ari argues that the views that the use of cars and highway transportation are an evil demon need to be abandoned.

The flexibility and convenience offered by the rubber wheel transportation, as Ari calls it, cannot be matched by other forms of transport. The toxic emissions of the modern car is only about five per cent of what it was 20 years ago, and the further developments in engines and fuels are likely to make these emissions disappear in about 10 years or so. The customer should decide what form of transport he prefers to use. Investing in roads is pivotal for future growth according to Ari, and Europe’s mania with railroads is wasting money.

Ari has founded the association Mobility for Prosperity in Europe to dispel deep-rooted myths and correct the European transport policy priorities which are upside down.

It is hoped that while Ari will be in Malta this week, he will have the opportunity to meet the Ministers for Finance and for Transport and discuss how a balance can be struck between investment in a public transport system and better roads and facilities for car owners and drivers. Drivers who might have the opportunity to meet Ari might wish to ask him what he thinks about the car registration tax rates and the vehicle licence fees in Malta.