The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has directed all motorists to take their vehicles for the mandatory annual inspections, ahead of school reopening.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 30, the authority said that the vehicles should be presented to NTSA motor vehicle inspection centres across the country, which will be open and operational before the schools reopen.
The authority said that it will be keen to check defects such as faulty or non-transmitting speed limiters, defective brakes, missing or faulty seat belts, unstable seats, and malfunctioning door locks, which were common in the previous compliance checks.
NTSA further urged motorists to ensure that their vehicles are properly maintained, roadworthy, and fully licensed, including valid insurance, road service licenses, and inspection certificates.
Vendors of speed limiters have been urged to ensure that all devices they sell comply with NTSA standards, including proper functionality, accurate speed limiting, data storage, and real-time transmission to the NTSA system.
"Private motorists, public transport operators, school administrators, and parents/guardians all share a significant responsibility in safeguarding the safety of our children during the busy season," NTSA said.
"To further protect our children, we strongly appeal to parents and guardians: do not permit your children to board any non-compliant vehicles," it added.
Meanwhile, motorists have been instructed to ensure that they comply with traffic rules and regulations and avoid night traffic, especially during this time, several regions of the country are experiencing rain and reduced visibility.
The authority has assured that it will work hand-in-hand with other law enforcement agencies to enhance surveillance on roads to ensure compliance, road safety on roads.
In less than two weeks, millions of learners are expected to be back in their classrooms for the first term of the 2026 academic year, marking the end of the long December holiday.
The return marks the start of the busy academic cycle for learners in pre-primary, primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools, as well as universities and other tertiary institutions, in the next four months.
According to an academic calendar issued by the Ministry of Education, the majority of schools will open before January 10, after a break that ran for close to two months.
On Monday, NTSA confirmed that compliance checks, which were heightened during the festive season, would continue well into the new school calendar year.
