3,114 Kenyans Have Died Due To Road Accidents Since January

Road accidents have consumed 3,114 lives of Kenyans as of October 31, 2020, according to stats released by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). This is an increase from 2,942 recorded at the same time in 2019.

“Current road crash statistics indicate a 5.8 percent increase in fatalities as of October 31, 2o20. Road safety continues to present significant challenges in our country, as a result, many lives are lost,” said NTSA.

According to NTSA, 1,108 pedestrians have lost their lives since January. 275 drivers have died while 424 passengers have lost their lives. Motorcyclists who died were 884 while 73 pedal cyclists died too.

“From the analysis, human-related factors such as overspeeding, reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, drunk driving, drunk riding, and failure to use helmets have attributed to the crashes,” said NTSA.

Road accidents are common in Kenya, claiming thousands of lives. In most cases, poor judgment by drivers has often been blamed for the accidents. Traffic police have also been blamed for allowing unroadworthy vehicles to operate on the roads.

Over-speeding has been termed as the major cause of most accidents the occur on Kenyan roads on the day to day basis. Different measures have been put in place to control this menace, but it has only borne minimal results.

Lack of self-discipline among motorists has made them ignore the measure put in place and most of them keep on over-speeding, thus putting their passengers’ lives in danger.

Despite the fact that traffic surveillance cameras have been installed on the roads, motorists still ignore that fact and drive above the required speed limits. Traffic officers have also slept on their work since they do not punish the drivers who over-speed. This is because they rely on bribes from the same drivers who go above the law.