Plans by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to toughen up traffic rules to improve road safety are a tad predictable.
Coming at a time when deaths and injuries from road crashes have soared inexorably, timely government intervention is timely. Still, coming on the heels of the horrific crash in which more than 50 people died and more injured in Londiani, Mr Murkomen has justification and public support to crack down on road carelessness.
According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, 2,124 people died in road accidents from January to 25 to June 2023, a decrease of 137 compared to last year's record over the same period where 2, 261 people perished.
A breakdown indicates more pedestrians were victims of road accidents with 729 recorded fatalities in 2023 followed by motor cyclists at 561.
And according to the Economic Survey 2023, there was a slight decrease in the number of reported road accidents from 10,210 in 2021 to 9,976 in 2022. However, there was an increase of 5.5 per cent of casualties from 20,625 in 2021 to 21,757 in 2022. These figures, consistently high year-on-year, point to need for a crackdown on motorist negligence.
Mr Murkomen has ordered an audit of all blackspots, installation of signage, reflectors and streetlights and traffic rules test for all commercial vehicle drivers. Others include more speed detection cameras and introduction of dashboard cameras and vehicle telematics in all Public Service Vehicles. While these initiatives may well have a positive impact on road safety, they only scratch the surface of an intractable and persistent problem rooted in sheer driver indiscipline, inept traffic officers and corruption in law enforcement.
Fatalities and injuries on Kenya's roads are not driven by lack of clear traffic rules or lack of modern safety infrastructure such as road cameras, speed detection gadgets or signage. NTSA has itself laid the blame on human recklessness such as speeding, drink driving, impetuous driving, mobile phone usage.
Says Section 59A (1) of the Act; "No driver of any class of vehicle shall, while the vehicle is in motion, use a mobile phone or any other communication equipment not permanently fixed to the vehicle and which distracts the driver from driving.''
Yet, many motorists browse the net while on the wheel. Others drive while drunk and yet others drink as they drive. Speed limits are ignored with abandon while lane discipline is a myth. Overlapping is the order of the day and basic courtesy simply unheard of.
Motorcyclists complete the jungle ecosystem because they operate in their own universe riding on the wrong side, and literally flying through traffic lights and zebra crossings. Rarely will you see the riders or pillion passengers wear a helmet or reflector jacket.
This theatre of the absurd plays out in full view of traffic officers who not only ignore traffic offenders but they encourage them to break rules. On roads such as Kiambu road, the police have introduced the 'happy hour' in which they block vehicles from Nairobi in the morning to give those driving into the city leeway to use both sides of the road. In the evening, it is the other way.
It used to be the norm that motorists wishing to make a turn off the main road would signal and wait until it is safe. Today, instead of signaling intention to turn, drivers simply flash their lights at oncoming traffic and proceed. This forces oncoming drivers to brake suddenly.
Rather than give the traffic nightmare a long-term look, the CS has settled on a sweeping blanket of new rules, akin to applying a bandage on a festering wound. Unless the existing traffic laws are followed to the letter and unless traffic police and NTSA put their act together, no amount of new rules or infrastructure will bring sanity to our roads.
The writer is a consulting editor. waihenyak@gmail.com
