A spate of serious traffic accidents – including a fatal one – over the Christmas weekend inevitably led to fears of a similarly accident-laden New Year weekend.

After the Christmas weekend, this newspaper had contacted the consultant handling the emergency department at the time, Michael Spiteri, and he had no reservations about stating what the main factor was: Alcohol.

As always, the emergency department hoped for the best but feared for the worst, perhaps especially so after a Christmas weekend which Dr Spiteri said was as busy as New Year’s was expected to be.

Thankfully, this did not happen – as far as serious traffic accidents are concerned – although one man was nevertheless seriously injured a few hours into 2012. A rain-free New Year’s Eve might have helped; wet roads would have made accidents more likely, especially when possible tiredness and excessive alcohol are added into the mix.

But more people also appeared to take heed of advice not to drink and drive for the occasion. Traffic on New Year’s Eve appeared to be less pronounced than one expected, suggesting many chose to forego their cars and pick alternative methods of transport to get them to their parties and back, safely.

Alcohol can impair one’s coordination and sense of judgement, and both need to be in strong supply while driving. As anyone who drives knows, the slightest of distractions can cause serious accidents, especially when the unexpected happens; perhaps pedestrians crossing the road too rashly, or drivers assuming the oncoming vehicle will brake in time to allow them to drive beyond the stop sign. Or others who choose to drink and drive.

There’s a reason Sedqa promotes not drinking alcohol at all when one is driving, and why it proposes lowering the legal blood alcohol limit, even though one might disagree with either suggestion.

But as we said earlier, this advice appears to have been heeded for the New Year celebrations. The concern, however, is that such foresight is a one-off.

The more cynical among us might write this positive trend down to a fear of being caught drink-driving on a night where being stopped by the police is more likely than it usually is. Drink-driving laws have become harsher recently, and the prospect of a steep fine and a driving licence suspension may have made drink-driving last weekend a gamble too far.

But will this trend continue beyond the holiday season, when the annual anti-drink-driving Christmas campaigns fade away? We have our doubts.

Sedqa suggests granting the police force the power to carry out random breathalyser tests: Currently, they can only carry them out when there is reasonable suspicion of driving under the influence. That could have an effect, but then again, whether traffic police have enough resources to implement such policy effectively remains to be seen.

In the long-term, what needs to be done is a culture shift. That too many people drink and drive recreationally is unlikely; the reason people do so is clear: Personal convenience. Personal transport is the most convenient way to get somewhere and back: Buses are inevitably less so – reservations over the current system notwithstanding – and taxis are more expensive.

Put simply, it seems far too many people still believe drinking and driving is an acceptable way to save money. And that is what needs to be addressed, one way or another.