Malta is facing a worsening road safety crisis. In just the past few days, six fatal traffic crashes have taken place, bringing the total number of road fatalities in 2025 to 17. This already surpasses the total fatalities recorded in both 2023 and 2024, and we are on a devastating trajectory to exceed the 2022 record of 26 road deaths—the highest recorded in recent years..

As Rota, Malta’s sustainable mobility NGO, we are deeply saddened and outraged by this ongoing loss of life. We cannot continue to treat road deaths as isolated incidents or unfortunate inevitabilities. These are systemic failures—failures in enforcement, in infrastructure design, and in political will.

Our Roads Are Unsafe by Design

Current road design continues to ignore the basic principles outlined in the CROW design manual for bicycle traffic, widely adopted across Europe. Our roads must be forgiving of human error and prioritize the safety of all users, especially the most vulnerable: pedestrians and cyclists.

We cannot tolerate high-speed shared roads like the Coast Road or Triq tal-Balal, where there is no adequate segregation for people walking or cycling. In tal-Balal  children are expected to wait for buses on narrow or non-existent pavements alongside vehicles speeding at 60–80 km/h. This is unacceptable and has been flagged to the authorities since 2020. Our children—and all road users—deserve better.

We Need Enforcement That Matches the Scale of the Crisis

It is absurd that the Malta Police Force is expected to carry out effective enforcement with only 18 breathalysers at its disposal. Road safety is not achieved through slogans—it requires proper resources, strong policy, and sustained enforcement.

We demand:

    • The immediate rollout of average speed cameras, not just single-point speed traps.
    • Implementation and enforcement of 30 km/h zones in all urban areas, in line with EU-wide recommendations.
    • Regular, well-resourced spot checks and sobriety testing.
  • Proper maintenance of roads, pavements and cycle lanes.
  • Proper law enforcement, including fines that reflect the gravity of endangering human life.

 

Where Is the Road Safety Council?

We question the role and visibility of the Road Safety Council. In the face of rising fatalities, their silence is deafening. We call for accountability and transparency. This council must publicly declare its strategies and actions—or lack thereof.

Legal Reform Must Accompany Infrastructure Reform

Beyond better roads, we need legal structures that protect vulnerable road users. We demand:

  • Stricter penalties for motorists responsible for killing or seriously injuring pedestrians or cyclists.
  • The introduction of presumed liability, a principle already in place across most EU member states, which places greater responsibility on drivers in the event of collisions with vulnerable users.

Every Death Is One Too Many

This is not just a transport issue. It is a public health emergency, a governance failure, and a social justice crisis. Each road victim leaves behind a grieving family, a broken community, and a reminder of what could have been prevented.

We have documented all road deaths in Malta at www.rota.mt/road-victims. These are not just numbers—they are names, stories, and lives lost far too soon.

We call on authorities to act—decisively and urgently.

Better design.
Stronger enforcement.
Harsher penalties.
Legal reform.
Safer streets—for everyone.

Enough is enough.