Road accidents continue to claim lives. Two people were killed in separate accidents at the same spot on Sunday in Naivasha, along the Nairobi–Nakuru road, sparking public outrage. During the long-drawn-out demonstrations, innocent motorists found themselves holding the wrong end of the stick after angry demonstrators vented their anger on them, stoning vehicles and smashing windscreens. While such behaviour is clearly unacceptable, it demonstrates the frustration of Kenyans with undisciplined motorists and lack of serious measures to curb road accidents.

Efforts by the police traffic department and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) appear to have little impact on controlling road deaths. Between January and now, NTSA says 2,529 people have lost their lives in road accidents, a number that is unacceptable. Kenyans have every reason to worry more as we approach the December festive season when most drivers and other road users throw caution to the wind, for the death toll is likely to go up.

Last Sunday, the world marked the Day of Remembrance for Road Victims at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, but unless serious efforts are put into making our roads safe, this will be a yearly exercise in futility.

This occasion would assume more significance if every passing year there are less of victims to remember. Digitising driver licences by June 2017 as President Kenyatta ordered will go a long way in helping to nab some of the most notorious drivers.

The police traffic department must also be serious in its approach to instilling road discipline. The ‘kitu kidogo’ and ‘chai’ phenomenon that makes traffic police look the other way to allow drunk drivers, those without licences and defective vehicles to proceed are largely responsible for many accidents. We all must learn to place a higher premium on life to curb unnecessary road deaths.