The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Thursday, March 23, revealed that the number of road fatalities had decreased by 4.6 per cent in a period of one year.
In a statement, NTSA detailed that the number of fatalities involving pedestrians, pillion passengers and motorcyclists had reduced from 1,021 to 974 between March 20, 2023, and the same date the previous year.
The Authority attributed the drop to an increase in public sensitisation on road safety through the government’s Usalama Barabarani Campaign. Supported by the European Union.
Pedestrian fatalities reduced from 359 in 2022 to 330 in 2023, while pillion passenger fatalities decreased from 109 in 2022 to 93 in 2023.
At the same time, motorcyclist fatalities decreased from 289 in 2022 to 265 in 2023.
However, driver fatalities increased from 95 in 2022, to 98 in 2023, while passenger fatalities increased from 154 in 2022 to 171 in 2023 and that of pedal cyclists increased from 15 in 2022 to 17 in 2023.
“The 4.6 per cent drop is mainly attributed to increased public education and awareness through the government road safety mainstreaming programme,” the statement read in part.
NTSA addressed the heavy rainfall in the country warning drivers to be cautious on the roads, especially drivers ferrying school-going children noting that it would implement measures to ensure that only compliant and roadworthy vehicles should be used.
“We note that a large part of the country is currently experiencing heavy rainfall and we urge road users to be cognisant of the risks associated with driving in the rain.
“In the past, we have witnessed the unnecessary loss of lives due to poor driver judgment. Incidents of drivers operating school buses, public service vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles in an attempt to drive through water resulted in both serious and fatal injuries,” noted the authority.
Additionally, drivers and bodaboda riders operating within school zones were urged to adhere to the 30kph speed limit as required by the law.
“Children are vulnerable road users due to their size and limitations in vision and hearing, it is therefore prudent for all road users to prioritise their safety,” NTSA added.
Further, parents were encouraged to ensure that they used safe transportation modes to ferry their children to and from school.
“We urge parents to use safe modes of transport to ferry children to and from school. Parents can verify this through the free NTSA mobile app by capturing the vehicle's registration number,” the authority cautioned.
Several parts country is experiencing sustained rainfall according to the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) which forced motorists along different highways to spend long hours in traffic.
