Maltese Man Writes Heartfelt Facebook Plea To Drivers After Laying His Friend To Rest
A young Maltese man who buried one of his best friends after a tragic road accident has written a heartfelt public appeal to make Maltese roads safer.
Andrea Grech La Rosa took to Facebook to write an open letter to road users, to which he tagged the Prime Minister, Transport Malta and the Maltese media to help spread his message. Among other things he questioned why Malta sees such aggressive marketing campaigns when it comes to elections, but the same effort is rarely made to educate drivers.
“The situation in Malta is reaching a critical point where pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users are all at the mercy of each other… We as road users must make a conscious effort to drive safely and look at ourselves in the mirror first before judging others, as that is the only way in which we will ever improve the situation on the island,” he wrote.
Grech La Rosa wrote the message after the funeral of Christopher Paul Abela, a 28-year-old law student who was killed on the spot as a truck turned into Mrieħel via the bypass junction. His bike ended up locked under the truck where it eventually stopped a few metres further up. He was the 9th road victim of the year. Since the beginning of 2016, 31 people have died on the road in Malta, including 11 motorcyclists.
“Christopher Paul Abela was a man who was driven by his own motivation, took up challenges with pride and was a friend for anyone who needed one. It is therefore heart breaking to see him gone in a flash when he was so close to achieving his life’s ambitions,” Grech La Rosa wrote.
“Without going into the details of the incident, it is safe to say that Chris has unfortunately joined a group of victims who have fallen on Maltese roads. Traffic rules are repeatedly breached, ignored, taken with a pinch of salt or sometimes not even acknowledged. Sometimes it feels as if the island is fuelled by road rage and incomprehensible acts take place which would baffle anyone who has driven anywhere else. The illusion that driving recklessly will gain us vast amounts of time must be culled as of yesterday,” he added.
“The pain and suffering of Chris’s family and friends cannot be ignored. Chris, together with other road users cannot pay the ultimate price and get nothing in compensation. We as road users, irrespective of whether either of these fallen victims were known to us, must make a conscious effort to drive safely and look at ourselves in the mirror first before judging others, as that is the only way in which we will ever improve the situation on the island.”
Grech La Rosa also called on the government to evaluate Malta’s road infrastructure and assess junctions such as the one that claimed Abela’s life.
“Is that intersection necessary? Had a safety study taken place? If yes, did it consider last Thursday’s scenario? Like this junction, there are several other black spots on the island which need to be reviewed. I am not an expert in this field but my understanding is that this horrible incident may reoccur, claiming more lives,” he said, adding that the intersection should either be closed altogether or fixed by installing an intelligent traffic light system.
“A decision needs to be taken sooner rather than later to save others,” he concluded.