Road Safety
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is stepping up efforts to enhance road safety compliance amid an increase in the number of road accident deaths.
NTSA Coast Regional Deputy Manager John Parteroi on Wednesday led a crackdown along the busy Mombasa-Nairobi Road at Mariakani where he revealed that as of 15th July 2024, 2,517 lives had been lost compared to 2,422 in 2023 a surge of 95 lives due to road accidents.
The majority of the lives that were lost were those of pedestrians followed by motorcyclists. “These are things that we can prevent if we follow traffic rules on the road including avoiding speeding, not carrying excess passengers, overtaking properly, avoiding drunk driving, drug driving, and vehicle maintenance to ensure we save lives,” said Parteroi.
NTSA and Traffic Police Officers inspect trucks along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway in Mariakani.
Photos by Haniel Mengistu/KNA
He added that they have intercepted a lot of vehicles especially trucks with worn-out tyres and others without valid licenses for truck driving. Passenger Service Vehicles plying the Mombasa-Nairobi route were inspected to see if they have the requisite permit for the route.
“We have managed to get several cases more than ten for various offences which are going to be arraigned in court,” said the NTSA Deputy Manager. The exercise is conducted countrywide to ensure school leaving children reach home safely as schools close this week for the second term.
“We are here to sensitize the drivers, students and passengers in the vehicles on common safety measures including putting on safety belts to ensure those vehicles are driven well without over speeding.”