Recklessness, altered speed limiters main cause of road accidents: NTSA

NTSA Road Safety and Strategies Manager, Samuel Musumba. [Screengrab]

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has identified tampering with speed limiters and reckless driving as primary contributors to fatal road accidents.

Appearing on Spice FM on Friday, April 12, Samuel Musumba, NTSA Road Safety and Strategies Manager, claimed that some operators collude with speed governor vendors to manipulate their devices to only transmit minimum speeds, leading to a fleet of vehicles transmitting identical speeds, such as seventy kilometers per hour, on the same stretch of road.

"The Eldoret Express and Kensilver are examples where we've discovered tampering with speed limiters," Musumba remarked.

The offense, he said, is punishable through suspension of operating licenses.

Furthermore, the Authority expressed concern over the irresponsible behavior of some road users and motorists, including drunk and reckless driving.

"If you look at January to date, the increase in accidents is largely attributed to some of the things we have been talking about, but people seem not to be taking too seriously...speeding, drunk driving, the recklessness that we see in people interfering with speed limiters and all that," said Musumba.

Kenyans, on March 18 joined Kenyatta University in mourning eleven (11) students who died following a fatal collision involving their bus against a trailer in Maungu area on Mombasa Road.

Several other crashes have occurred, with NTSA confirming a sharp rise in deaths on the roads within the first quarter of 2024.

Data from NTSA reveals that over 1,200 individuals have died in reported accidents. In response to the escalating road safety concerns, the government has initiated a crackdown to enforce compliance with road safety regulations.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced additional measures on Tuesday, including intensified compliance checks for school buses and matatus.