Let’s collectively shun Russian roulette on our

By Angela Ambitho

Early this year, I shared my concerns over the high rate of road carnage using the analogy of the daredevil sparrow who seldom obeyed the law that required him to fly only above the trees.

In his quest to compete with the falcons and eagles by flying faster and higher, he eventually found himself above the clouds and out of bounds. He soon felt dizzy and weak from the rays of the scorching sun. His frantic attempts to retreat to safer skies led him to stormy clouds and he eventually had a tumbling thud.

His reckless abandon caused him his life. Unfortunately, Kenyan motorists ape the sparrow’s behaviour in many ways. Several drivers have a no holds barred attitude disobeying traffic laws at every turn and pushing their cars to perform speeds that whilst may thrill but will inevitably kill.

So shocking is the manner with which private and public vehicles overtake one another that one would be inclined to think our drivers believe they are in the Grand Prix.  Motorists overtake any which way how; on bends and blind spots; when rain and fog blind their visibility; where they know that their engines can’t match cars being overtaken. Their behaviour is concomitant to that of the sparrow following the falcon to higher skies without questioning its capacity to do so.

The recklessness on our roads begs one to question, whether the dare devil syndrome is innate in us or whether death has become so demystified that we have no fear at all in courting it. Only on the roads do Kenyans seem to be in a greater hurry than other global citizens. Urgency merely linked to greed and disorganisation.

A peek into WHO global road carnage statistics paints an extremely grim picture. Statistics show that 1.2 million people are killed on the roads yearly in Africa.

This constitutes 20 per cent of road traffic deaths in the world. 70 per cent of these traffic deaths occur in only ten countries, Kenya being one of them.

Nearly 1500 lives have been lost through road accidents this year, majority being caused by human error and poor judgment occasioned by drunkenness, recklessness and speeding.

And whilst cynics may argue that only drivers are to blame, the onus also lies with the regulating and reinforcing authorities to diligently perform their duties. That public vehicles can ply our roads without pertinent licenses is absurd. That traffic police continue to turn a blind eye to traffic offenses in exchange for a quick buck is unacceptable. That government continues to handle the glaring rate of road carnage through reactionary tactics and public relations directives is unsustainable.

We must collectively get serious and shun Russian roulette on our roads. As pedestrians and passengers, we should not falsely believe that motorists are omniscient; they are human and susceptible to err. As motorists, we should only get behind the wheel when we have clarity of thought and vision. Never should we drive when intoxicated. We must vehemently shun the wanton disregard for highway laws and ensure that incidences such the ill-fated Narok accident that killed and injured several passengers does not recur.

Finally, as our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of road carnage let us learn from the sparrow who realised only too late that “haste and hurry can only bear children with many regrets.”