There have been far too many serious road accidents in Malta in the past weeks, and even beyond that. We are seeing people – mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters – dying in the streets as a result of accidents which, in some cases, could be prevented.

Among the several issues that there are on Malta’s roads is no doubt drunk driving.

In just these past weeks there were two fatal traffic accidents where charges of involuntary homicide have been brought against individuals – and in both of those cases, those individuals were found to be over the alcohol limit.

23-year-old Benjamin Chetcuti, who is charged with the involuntary homicide of mother of four Mildred Azzopardi and with seriously injuring her husband in a traffic crash in Valletta, was found to be five times above the alcohol limit when he was tested after the incident.

A 17-year-old boy who is charged with the involuntary homicide of father of three Khim Bahadur Pun in Birkirkara last weekend after he ploughed into him with a Maserati was also found to be above the alcohol limit when he was tested – even though he was tested some five hours after the crash happened.

Key to understanding the issue at hand here is the context of how Maltese law operates in this regard.

Right now, police officers can only conduct a breathalyser test on an individual if they have reasonable suspicion that the individual in question is under the influence of alcohol.

This means that the number of tests administered is shockingly low.  For example, only 173 breathalyser tests were administered by police officers throughout the whole of 2024.  Out of those 173, 93 of them turned out positive – equivalent to around 53%.

There have been calls for Malta to do away with this law and introduce the possibility of random breathalyser tests for years.

The NGO Doctors for Road Safety has been among the foremost advocates, but so have other associations and groups such as the Malta Insurance Association and even the Police Force itself.

Way back in 2022, Police Inspector Nicholas Vella, who heads the force’s traffic section, told TVM that more people should be stopped to undergo breathalyser tests.  He had said that Transport Malta officers should also be given the power to administer such tests, and that the reasonable suspicion clause in the law should be removed to allow more widespread testing.

Earlier this summer, Vella – now a Superintendent – told The Malta Independent also pinpointed speed, distractions, and a lack of seatbelt use as some of the most common causes of road accidents.

Fast forward and nothing has changed, except that there have been more victims of drunk driving and overspeeding and people are continuing to die on Malta’s roads.

Superintendent Vella was the police officer testifying in court and giving details about the crashes which claimed the lives of both Mildred Azzopardi and Khim Bahadur Pun, telling the court how both of those charged with their deaths were driving under the influence.

If these latest fatalities were not a wake-up call, then it’s difficult to understand what would be one.  Action needs to be taken in order to reduce the number of serious accidents on our roads.

At the end of the day, there is a personal responsibility to driving safely – but the government also has a responsibility to do all that it feasibly can to, where possible, make Malta’s roads safer.

The legislative change to allow for breathalyser tests to be administered more widely is one such measure that it can take.