Road death toll still a menace in Kenya

This year’s tally is already past the 2,500 mark, yet the deadly festive period is still to come. A report posted on the NTSA website on November 8, 2016 shows at least 2,529 people have lost their lives on the road since January 2016. PHOTO: COURTESY

Kenya’s road deaths are soaring despite concerted efforts by safety players, but National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is confident that the toll will continue to head down.

This year’s tally is already past the 2,500 mark, yet the deadly festive period is still to come. A report posted on the NTSA website on November 8, 2016 shows at least 2,529 people have lost their lives on the road since January 2016.

Every third Sunday of November is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. This day, adopted by the UN in 2005, is dedicated to remembering people who have died on the roads and those who continue to require support and care for serious accident injuries.

The Remembrance Day is also a moment for people to think about their behaviour on the road and the changes they can make to keep roads free from carnage.

Some of the deadly behaviours to blame for the rising toll on Kenyan roads include drunken driving, speeding and dangerous over-taking. But more inexcusable is that more than half of all the deaths that occur after a road crash are as a result of mishandling by responders who lack basic knowledge on first aid; accounting for about 57 per cent of victims of road accidents, according to a study by St John Ambulance.

In a bid to curb these preventable deaths, the organisation recently rolled out a programme on first aid and emergency rescue training, which benefited more than 650 matatu drivers. An almost similar training was also offered to communities living near 17 notorious accident black spots along the northern corridor, which traverses 11 counties from Mombasa to Busia.

The life-saving skills will see drivers and black-spot communities reach victims of road crash faster than ambulances, which take about nine minutes to arrive.

However, introduction of mandatory first aid training in primary and secondary schools is the most sustainable way to boost knowledge of life-saving skills and reduction of post-crash deaths. Prospective drivers also need to undergo a compulsory first-aid course run by approved providers before they can be granted a driving licence.

If you are not trained in first aid skills, the best help you can give to an accident victim is to call for an ambulance or police. These are the hotlines: St John Ambulance 0721225285, Red Cross 0700935935, and Police 999/112.Hotlines for fire departments vary from one county to another.

Nonetheless, your first action at an accident scene is to assess for any hazard such as being run over by oncoming vehicles, dangerously hanging vehicle or explosive chemicals like petrol. You can use reflective lifesavers or modified warning signals, such as twigs, to alert oncoming motorists of the impending danger.

Wailing survivors who are not seriously injured should not deflect your attention from caring first for critical victims who are silent or unconscious in most occasions. Do not move casualties suspected of spinal injury, unless they are exposed to further dangers, such as fire or being run over by oncoming vehicles.

Spinal injuries can lead to permanent disability if the casualty is moved inappropriately. Spine injury is mostly caused by whiplash, a forward or backward jerking of the head during collision or emergency braking.

In case of a wound, use a gloved hand or casualty’s hand to apply pressure to suppress bleeding, then cover the injured area with clean clothing or bandage. Do not dislodge any embedded object on a wound as this may open closed blood vessels that can in turn cause profuse bleeding. Instead, cover the object in place with bulky dressings before bandaging.