Taglines
- Road fatalities have increased in the past seven years, raising concern over the government's ability to mitigate the situation
- NTSA developed an Action Plan to enforce traffic law compliance within the next five years
- The government seeks to reduce the number of road fatalities across the country by 50 per cent in 2030
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has developed a raft of reforms to reduce the rising cases of road crashes experienced across the country.
From new speed limits and vehicle importation standards to driving licence compliance and boda boda safety regulations, the reforms will form the action plan for the Authority in the next five years.
As detailed in the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028, the government aims to curb impunity and tame traffic offences.
Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at the strategic measures in line with the data.
Road Fatalities Over the Years
"Every year the numbers are going up. They have to come down and the template is known and practised elsewhere. Impunity is keeping us from doing the right thing. One year from now, we will have another meeting and (Transport CS) Kipchumba Murkomen you better report to us that the numbers are down otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble," President William Ruto stated during the launch of the Action Plan on April 17, 2024.
His remarks stemmed from the surge in crashes that have been experienced in nearly a decade as seen in the graphics below.
The number of Road Fatalities From 2005 to 2022
Here are the laid-out strategies:
Safety Road Design
NTSA will develop safety design manuals to lower the number of fatalities across the roads. In this new design, the manuals will assume that user error will occur and hence focus on protecting motorists.
This will involve roadside barriers to be placed on high-speed roads to tackle off-road crashes. Additionally, the Authority will identify hazardous and accident-prone locations and propose solutions.
Speed-Limit
Four new speed limit reforms are set to be introduced over five years.
- 30 Kilometres per hour for areas with a potential for collisions between motorists and pedestrians and cyclists including villages, school zones or commercial locations.
- 30 Kilometres per hour for areas where children mix with traffic.
- 50 Kilometres per hour for areas where there is potential for side impact collisions such as intersections.
- 70 Kilometres per hour for areas where there is potential for head-on-collisions. This also includes undivided rural highways.
New Standards for Vehicle Importation
By 2030, vehicles entering the Kenyan market will be required to meet at least seven of the eight vehicle safety standards that were adopted by the United Nations:
These standards touch on both interior and exterior features that a vehicle must have before receiving approval by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
They include frontal impact protection, side impact protection, electronic stability control, pedestrian front protection, seat belts, seat-belt anchorages, motorcycle anti-lock braking systems and child restraints (devices installed in car seats).
In terms of seat belts, all vehicles will be required to have a system that alerts drivers and motorists when their seat belts are not fastened. Frontal and side impact protection provides guidelines on how the vehicle should protect its occupants in the event of a collision.
Vehicle Inspection
All commercial and public service vehicles will be inspected on an annual basis to assess the roadworthiness and safety features of the vehicles.
The major issues primarily involve brakes, tyres, steering wheel, lights and seatbelts.
Boda Boda Licensing Reforms
Part of the boda boda reforms include five new strategies to enforce compliance.
- Introduction of a graduated licensing system to set higher safety standards for those seeking to acquire a licence.
- Introduction of an anti-locking braking system and acceptable safety standards for helmets and hazard warning signs.
- Motorcycle helmets to undergo regular laboratory testing to ensure quality safe standards in line with the standards.
- Tougher enforcement of set traffic laws to effect adherence.
- All boda boda will be required to join a SACCO, comprising at least 100 members.
Phasing Out Driving Licences
The government plans to phase out the old driving licenses within a three-year phase, during which all drivers will need to have the Smart DLs.
This is critical to administer an instant fine system and demerit point system to identify repeat offenders and enforce compliance.
Telematics
Designed to build capacity in enforcing adherence and deter repeat offenders.
It will involve the combination of telecommunications and informatics to provide real-time data on vehicle movements and driver behaviour.
It will be useful in data collection and analysis, identification of high-risk drivers, evidence for prosecution as well as issuance of automated alerts and notifications.
