Upon first look, driving in Malta may feel immediately familiar to visitors from the United Kingdom. After all, they have a shared history together, and both drive on the left-hand side of the road (meaning they’re right-hand drive). Few European nations do this (just Ireland and Cyprus), and so it gives British drivers a sense of feeling at home.
But this sense of comfort is dangerously misleading. Important differences lurk in road systems and signage, but particularly the culture too, and this affects both safety and compliance. Just as in other European countries, it’s natural that differences appear on our roadsides, affecting everyone from road users to road sign suppliers, like Seton in the UK.
Difference #1: Units of measurement
Probably the most significant practical difference is in speed measurement. In the UK, all road signs and speedometers are calibrated in miles per hour (mph), while Malta uses kilometres per hour (km/h), which is more in line with European standards.
This is hugely important because British drivers are used to reading a “50” sign as 50 mph (around 80 km/h). Given that British roads are often high speed limits, it could lead to them driving at 50mph on a road designed for 50km/h, which is very dangerous on Malta’s narrow and busy roads.
It’s worth noting that typical Maltese limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them – not too far from the UK’s, though the 60mp/h national speed limit, which can include small country lanes, feels faster than Malta (not to mention the growing 20mp/h limits in urban areas in the UK). For transport coordinators and fleet managers, drivers must be fully briefed on these units, and car rental companies must train staff on communicating this to British customers.
Difference #2: Road signage and visual language
If there is one area where professional suppliers and compliance experts (and, let’s face it, Geoguessr enthusiasts) will immediately spot variation, it’s in the design of road signage.
The UK’s signage system was established by the Worboys Committee in the 1960s. It’s very unique. It has a clean, instantly recognisable typography (Transport font) and a distinctive hierarchy of colour coding. UK road users have been conditioned to read and respond to these cues automatically and from a distance.
Malta follows a system that generally conforms to the European design principles even though the country is not a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Its signs are similar in style to continental European examples (round shapes for prohibitions, blue circles for mandatory instructions, yellow diamond warning signs, etc.), though not identical in all aspects. This could create two layers of confusion for Brits.
Now add to this bilingualism, in which some Maltese road signs appear in both Maltese and English, though many others are in a single language depending on local authority or context. The mix makes things more accessible for English speakers than if it were purely in Maltese, but it can actually alter the visual density of signage and affect readability and spacing.
Difference #3: Driving culture and behaviour
We cannot underestimate how much driving culture can affect safety, particularly given the British idiosyncrasies. British drivers stick to formal rules and lane discipline, certainly, but also to an informal, polite-driven culture, like flashing lights to let others go – or abruptly stopping in the middle of the road to let a pedestrian cross.
Maltese drivers are more in line with the Mediterranean driving culture of being flexible and adaptive to fast-changing road conditions. The island’s density and narrow streets mean pragmatism and improvisation are often needed.
For the likes of fleet managers and logistics professionals, knowing these behavioural patterns is important because it doesn’t just affect safety but also travel time estimates.
Difference #4: The road environment itself
In the UK, drivers are used to a variety of roads, but each placed in a hierarchy: motorways, A roads, B roads, rural lanes (no street lamps), urban roads (street lamps). Surfaces are fairly consistent, too.
Malta’s network is much smaller and more urbanised. The island has no motorways, meaning most roads are quite narrow and winding, which British drivers are familiar with, but they’re often more congested in Malta. Journeys in general are therefore brief, which manipulates some safety stats. Road surface quality varies more in Malta, and this really matters for firms that are taking into consideration tyre wear, delivery timing, vehicle specifications, and so on.
For professionals operating across borders, Malta and the UK are a great example of false familiarity and actually, why that can be more dangerous. Yes, both drive on the left, and yes, English is widely used, but beyond that, Malta is more similar to driving in Italy than in the UK. the one positive is that British drivers have one of the best records of road safety, and it’s in part down to a consideration of others – this is a good foundation for adapting to a new driving culture.