Do you think Kenya's road safety has improved under NTSA?

Road safety has been an issue in Kenya  for years. Several factors contribute to what has made it a little hard to declare that our roads are safe. These include the attitude of all road users, and this does not limit itself to drivers. On the road we have motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians and occasionally, domestic animal grazers.

If these people choose to ignore laid-down regulations, it will be difficult for the National Transport and Safety Authority to achieve its targets. Kenya is vast, and there is the matter of staffing for NTSA. It is not possible for NTSA officers to cover every inch of road just to ensure drivers stick to the rules.

If the statistics the transport authority give out regularly are to be relied on, then there is a marked improvement since the number of accidents has been going down steadily even though a single death is still one too many. If drivers stick to the rules, if pedestrians cross at designated places, if motorcyclists obeyed the law and stopped riding on every available open space, if car owners maintained their vehicles well instead of giving the police and NTSA bribes to overlook defects and traffic violations, no doubt, there shall be no need of talking about accidents.

By itself, NTSA cannot make roads safe, it requires joint efforts by all stakeholders.

Mr Davis is a resident of Nairobi