A look at the previous victims does indicate some worrying trends. All four were pedestrians and migrants residing in Malta.

Triq Diċembru-13 stretches from the entrance of Ħamrun all the way down to Aldo Moro Road, which has also seen its fair share of fatalities and injuries.

The first to die was a 31-year-old Eritrean man who lived at the Ħal Far open centre and was run over during the early hours of the morning at 3.15am on 4th April. 

Just a few days later on 20th April, a 24-year-old Sudanese man died following a traffic accident along the same road in Marsa. He was also run over and the incident happened at around 8pm. 

Then, on 21st August,  a 29-year-old Eritrean man died after being run over along the road. 

However, deaths sometimes overshadow the number of non-fatal injuries people sustain on the road, as was seen in a major accident on the road just a month ago.

In general, traffic accidents have almost doubled in Marsa this year when compared with 2021. There have been just over 480 accidents in the locality between January and June of this year, up from the 288 recorded over the same period last year. 

Pedestrian walkways have been added in recent years to address issues concerning pedestrians crossing the road haphazardly. However, it appears that they are not having their desired effect and may need a rethink from Malta’s authorities. 

2022 is set to become one of the most fatal years on Malta’s roads, with 22 deaths already recorded. The previous record was 23 in 2016. 

Currently, roughly one person has died on Malta’s roads every two weeks in 2022, according to official figures. 

However, it appears little is being done to address the issue and in particular hot spots like triq Diċembru-13.

What can be done to improve road safety?