Stem rise in accidents on Kenyan roads

Whenever an accident involving a public service vehicle is reported, two things stand out. Interviews with survivors and eye witnesses point to the fact that the driver was not only speeding, the vehicle turns out to have been carrying passengers in excess of the stipulated capacity.

The establishment of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in 2012 and the presence of traffic police officers on our roads have had no discernible impact in minimising road accidents or even instilling discipline among drivers.

Road rage continues. NTSA statistics show that road accidents had gone up by 45 per cent between January and April 2016. By July 1, 2016, 1,585 people had lost their lives in road accidents, an increase of 5.7 per cent from the same period in 2015.

More needs to be done by way of action to stem rising road deaths. This is achievable if, first, passengers learn to raise their voices whenever drivers are observed to be driving dangerously or packing in more passengers than is allowed.

Secondly, NTSA must live up to its billing, grow some teeth and enforce road rules. Third, traffic policemen should lay to rest the perception that their presence on the roads is basically to collect bribes and not to enforce safety measures.