It has been a terrible month of March in terms of serious road accidents.

People have died, others are in critical condition, and more were hurt as cars, bikes and even a sulky were involved in tragic events.

We’re still to reach the end of the first quarter of the year but we have already had 10 fatalities on the road, which is more than the total in the whole of 2021.

But these are not just numbers.

These are people whose life was cut short, and who left grieving parents, brothers, sisters and friends behind. It will never be the same again for them.

Safety on our roads should be given the greatest importance but, unfortunately, many of us do not seem to learn from others’ misfortune.

There are still too many drivers who take risks on the road, believing that nothing will happen to them. There are pedestrians who also take a gamble, thinking that they are immune.

But, as life teaches us, it only takes an instant for something to go wrong, and for life to change forever. For some, it means the end of it.

Our roads are getting wider and smoother, and this encourages more speed. We get angry that speed cameras are installed in certain areas, as this means that we have to slow down. Many drivers make mental notes on all cameras that exist on our roads, just to trigger that slowing down process as soon as they are approaching them, only to press their foot on the accelerator once they get past.

Frustrating traffic jams do not help, and once the road is clear, many drivers seem to want to make up lost time.

Yet one of the few advantages of being a small island is that distances are short. It’s not as if we need to travel hundreds of kilometres from one point to another. So, if one were to truly think hard, how much time can we gain if we drive faster and increase our risks? The answer is a few minutes, maybe not even more than five.

Therefore, is life worth risking just to arrive five minutes earlier? Is it worth putting your life, and that of others, in danger just for five minutes? Those five minutes you’re trying to gain could cost you your life.

After one of the accidents that took place this month, the Doctors For Road Safety issued a statement requesting “consistent and repeated” educational campaigns targeting all road users, while law enforcement needs to be stepped up.

But they also made one very important point – road safety falls under many different departments and institutions, and as such shifting of the blame is very easy. The association suggests that an “overarching authority” dedicated solely to road safety is set up.

Now, many will argue that we already have too many quangos, but in this case the suggestion that has been made should be taken into consideration. If there is no need for such an entity to be established, at least there should be better coordination among the stakeholders.

We’re in the middle of an election campaign but road safety does not feature prominently in the political parties’ pledges.

We’d like to hear more about what they think.