Columnists
Speeding is hurting so many, act now to make Kenyan roads safer
Tuesday September 12 2023
The wreckage of a 14-seater matatu that was involved in the accident at Karunga area after hitting a pothole on the Molo- Njoro road in Nakuru Count on August 11, 2023. PHOTO | JOHN NJOROGE | NMG
Road traffic crashes have claimed thousands of innocent lives and hardly a day passes without an incident report.
There is no doubt that speed remains one of the single most serious road safety challenges in Kenya. Evidence shows that lower speed limits in urban areas and school zones reduce the risk of fatalities, and injuries and ensure the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, children and boda boda riders.
The management of speed as a road safety and public health problem requires a multidisciplinary and sustainable response.
To address the speed concern, urgent intervention by all stakeholders is critical. The system that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has adopted in road safety management considers five elements namely, safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care.
The five elements must integrate, be optimised across, and operate holistically to deal with this safety concern. With a safe system approach, players must not take a silo approach in developing road-safety interventions.
All stakeholders in the road transport sector should change how they view this problem.
Appropriate road engineering designs and data-driven enforcement of traffic rules, among others, must be accorded attention to enhance the safety of all road users.
On its part, NTSA is pressing for the development of the national speed management policy, the use of cutting-edge technologies in compliance assessment, inter-agency system integrations and stakeholder engagement with parties within the sector.
Some of the projects in the pipeline relate to implementing the Intelligent Road Transport Management System, installing speed cameras along major corridors, black spot mapping, putting up road signs and piloting of the demerit point system to encourage safe and responsible driving.
Automation of driver training is at an advanced stage and the use of simulators will be adopted to facilitate effective training and testing of drivers. The NTSA also has in place robust road safety campaigns targeting various road users.
The authority expects to realise positive gains in addressing the speed concerns with the support of stakeholders in the transport sector.
Communication and information dissemination play a critical role in road safety education and NTSA has tailor-made programmes targeting various road users.
Currently, with the support of the European Union, a campaign dubbed Dere Smart targeting drivers of private, heavy commercial and public service vehicles has been rolled out nationally.
The campaign aims at holding dialogue with drivers for more accountability while at the same time highlighting the need for positive behaviour change.
The writer is a Director General of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
