Act fast to curb road carnage

Accident in Kambu, Makueni

When 32 people perish in two road accidents in under a week, serious questions must be asked about the ability of the government to keep our roads safe. We call it road carnage because the 32 passengers would be alive today had the drivers who caused the deaths appreciated the murderous folly of overtaking despite seeing a continuous yellow line.

However, over the years it has been business as usual and the script is all too predictable. After most accidents where lives are lost, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) mandarins predictably act to punish the Saccos in which these matatus are registered. And sometimes they mount a crackdown on un-roadworthy vehicles, but this is soon forgotten until another accident occurs.
Driving on Mombasa Road, one is harassed by 60-seater buses hurtling at speeds higher than the mandatory limit of 80km per hour. How this happens in spite of numerous NTSA checkpoints someone must explain.
However, even as we blame the authorities, passengers must take their share of the blame. It is foolishly fatalistic to allow a twig-chewing lunatic to kill you just because you must be at your destination on time. There may come a day when passengers are forced to take over matatus from mad drivers and hand the crew over to the police for prosecution.