Make roads safer as holidays near
As the holiday season draws nearer, it is important for road safety agencies to start raising awareness about making roads safer for all users given that there will be an increase in traffic in coming weeks.
Already, there are far too many road crashes and related deaths and injuries relative to the population and number of kilometres. For a country like Kenya to lose over 8,000 people to road crashes per year says a lot about our road safety record and this is perhaps where insurance companies have blacklisted seven vehicle models from getting insurance cover. Although these vehicles are designed as personal cars, rogue owners have been using them as Public Service Vehicles, making them expensive to insure because the carry more passengers than allowed by law. They have also been blamed for a large proportion of road crashes, making them a risky cluster to insure.
Later this month, the world will be commemorating the World Remembrance Day for Road Crash Victims. This is a somber moment because it reminds us all of the loved ones lost to crashes that could, in all likelihood been avoided if only drivers were more careful on the road, vehicle owners took the trouble to ensure their vehices are roadworthy and public institutions took time to properly design roads and ensure sufficient signage. In Kenya, we have another unique problem of vandals yanking off road signs and converting them to scrap metal. Highway patrols should be made more vigilant to arrest such vandals while the relevant authorities explore how they can use alternative materials, such as plastic, for signage to reduce cases of vandalism.
In recent weeks, the police have also increased crackdowns on drink driving following a jump in the number of crashes on key arteries within the capital city. These need to be revved up and sustained to reduce the number of needless deaths caused by drunk drivers. However, there is also need to relook some of the road designs, particularly for bypasses, as poor design too has contributed to fatalities and injuries. Again, enforcement of highway codes, such as ensuring that motorcycles, bicycles and Tuktuks are kept off bypasses and highways will go a long way in making roads safer for all. Together with this, the introduction of smart driving licenses, smart points for good drivers and higher insurance premiums for bad drivers will go a long way in making Kenyan roads safer. The President last week called for cameras to be installed in all major roads and highways. This should be prioritised.
