In a country where driving carefully and considerately is not one of our strong points, the summer heat invariably brings with it an increase in road rage and negligent driving.

Apart from the countless number of slight collisions, which are an inconvenience more than anything else to the drivers concerned because of the damage sustained, these minor accidents cause long traffic jams until a warden shows up to take down details.

It is the more serious pile-ups which cause grievous injury and sometimes death, however, which are the most worrying. Lately we have been reading too many stories of people who drive off after an accident. In the space of a few weeks we have heard about a tourist who was killed instantly in Qawra, an 11-year-old who was grievously injured in Sliema and this weekend a woman who drove into a group of people in Gżira, leaving a man fighting for his life. In each case, the perpetrator fled the scene but was immediately traced, thanks to CCTV cameras and eyewitnesses.

What would cause someone to flee, in the full knowledge that they have hit someone with their car? The answer is, of course, sheer panic, followed by the immediate instinct to try and cover up the accident in what can only be described as an act of self-preservation. In fact, those who are eventually caught usually readily admit that they attempted to conceal the car involved in the crime. Such behaviour is unthinkable for most of us for it points to a complete lack of empathy and conscience: It is difficult to imagine how someone can sleep well at night in the full knowledge that they have been the cause of such a tragedy.

This indifference to human suffering and the inability to feel remorse at costing someone their life indicates that as a society we have lost our compassion and, it seems, we are also continuing to lose the basic tenets of what makes us civilised.

It certainly does not augur well for our future that these hit-and-run drivers have all tended to be young in age, driving high-speed expensive cars which are often unsuitable for Malta’s traffic and roads. It is clear that despite the numerous speed cameras, over-speeding (one of the most common causes of accidents) is still not being adequately addressed. Culprits caught speeding need to be booked immediately by traffic wardens, and apart from being fined, they should have their licence taken away from them for a period of time. It is only by getting these unsafe drivers off our roads that we can curb this kind of mayhem.

It is unacceptable that we have to fear for our lives, every time we cross the road.