Another tragedy claimed the life of a young motorcyclist yesterday after she was hit by a truck in Lija. She was only 27-years-old. She was the first person to die on Maltese roads this year. But it is something we are no strangers to.

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi was recently given flak for saying that lack of motorist awareness and consideration are the biggest causes of accidents when it comes to horse drawn carriages. He said the government had no plan to ban the practice and that motorists in general should be more considerate.

In the context of him saying it, people hurled criticism. But what about this context? What if we were all that bit more considerate to fellow motorists, bikers, cyclists and, most importantly, pedestrians?

Would it save lives? Yes it most probably would. But how can you accurately and scientifically measure just how bad driving is in any given country?

In 2014, the number of road deaths varied greatly across the EU. The average EU fatality rate for 2014 was 51 road deaths per million inhabitants. Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom reported the lowest road fatality rates, with less than 30 deaths per million inhabitants. But is that an accurate yardstick? Does that reflect the fact that some young men spin their wheels purposely at traffic lights or going round corners, scaring the living daylights out of everyone else?

Does it reflect those people who pull in at the last minute? Does it reflect those people who overtake on blind corners? Does it reflect those who pull out of exits without looking? No, it most probably does not. We probably have such a low rate because our commuting distances are so short. Every day, nearly every motorist experiences a near miss. When one is a biker, or a cyclist, that risk goes up exponentially because of bad driving, poor roads, poor signage and, at the end of the day, poor teaching and low standards.

Our driving system is one of who dares wins. But it is very different having a bumper to bumper between two hatchbacks, and having a collision between a motorcycle and a truck. The cause of the accident is, as yet, unknown and still under investigation.

However, it is becoming abundantly clear that commuters on two wheels are not given respect on the roads by most commuters on four wheels. Some might argue that bikers themselves are a nuisance, and they can be when they zoom past at 100+ kilometres per hour.

It seems that Malta is a combination of a drag track, a city circuit and an off road time trial. Everyone trying to get from A to B as quickly as possible while throwing all common courtesy to the wind. But how to tackle it? First of all, the government needs to introduce stiffer fines for people caught driving with extreme negligence or in a dangerous manner. The government also needs to redefine what ‘negligent’ and ‘dangerous’ mean within the Criminal Code. Does dangerous driving not include overtaking on a corner, or tailgating? A whole new rethink is needed. But first, fines need to be increased and standards of teaching must improve.  We might joke about needing eyes in the back of our heads with tourists, but it is actually a dangerous reality.