There has been an upsurge in fatal road accidents across the country, and with the coming rainy season, the situation could get worse due to human error by drivers and the deteriorating of the already bad roads.
In the past several days, nearly 20 people have perished in crashes on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. At least 12 lost their lives in a grisly accident involving a matatu and a lorry at Voi in Taita-Taveta County. The second was the Thursday crash at Salama in Makueni County, also involving a matatu and a truck, in which eight people perished.
According to the latest National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) statistics, more than 2,000 people have been killed on the roads since January. At this rate, the annual average of 3,000 deaths could be surpassed. This calls for urgent efforts to enhance road safety.
In July, 52 people died when a lorry rammed other vehicles on the Nakuru-Kericho highway. Characteristic of the knee-jerk reactions whenever such accidents occur, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen quickly issued some directives.
He ordered markets on road reserves relocated, speed limits revised, bumps erected and proper signage installed. He also asked the NTSA to install a speed detection camera at the spot and begin retesting drivers. He also directed that PSVs be fitted with dashboard cameras. But once the dust settled, it was back to business as usual.
Road carnage is an endemic problem that calls for decisive measures. There is a need to enhance the training and testing of drivers and suspension or cancellation of the licenses of those who are recklessness or incompetent.
Road designs should be inspected to correct any anomalies. But most importantly, the NTSA and traffic police must enforce traffic rules and regulations and rid the roads of unroadworthy vehicles. The police must crack down on speeding, reckless and drunk driving, and overloading, which are some of the major causes of accidents.
