The National Transport and Saftey Authority (NTSA) has announced plans to review the age limit for drivers of public service vehicles.
This comes in the wake of revelations that the driver of the ill-fated bus that killed more than 50 people at Fort Ternan was 72 years old.
Talking to the press, the Director General Francis Meja expressed the authority’s shock when they learnt the age of the driver.
"We are surprised that a driver with such age has a lot of experience on the road, what happened now begs the question as to whether a time has come for us to review the age limit for PSV drivers," he spoke.
Driving is a complex task which involves many elements, both physical and mental, all of which need to be in top form in order to handle the quickly changing environment of the road.
People age at different rates, however, there are countless factors affecting an older person's safety behind the wheel.
One of the most drastic physical changes that occurs with age is vision deterioration. Light reception is what enables us to see, and as we age, our eyes become less sensitive to light.
Also, many senior citizens are easily affected by exhaustion especially after long working hours, making drowsiness a common problem on the road.
Currently, there is no age limit but drivers over 60 are required to take an annual medical fitness before their licenses are renewed.
According to the new laws that were introduced by NTSA, to drive a 14-seater matatu, one must be at least 22 years old.
