By: Euphemia Achieng
Worth Noting:
- Jay walking is also another cause by pedestrians who cross roads outside of a cross walk whether marked or not while some cross an intersection or traffic signal when it is on red. Riders also experience these accidents because the motorcycles may be more susceptible to unsafe road conditions than other vehicles on the roads, and are less visible to cars, less stable and high- performance capabilities and lack full protection of an enclosed passenger car.
- Other causes of road accidents are inclement weather, traffic officers who will accept bribes to look away creating an environment for more accidents for example the officers did not check on how the vehicle was loaded and so an accident occurs thereafter because no action was taken.
Over three thousand people are killed annually on Kenyan roads. An increment in road fatalities has been experienced and more than 75% of traffic casualties are economically productive young adults. The most vulnerable are pedestrians and passengers who account for 80% of the deaths. Matatus and buses are the most frequently involved in fatal crashes. In urban areas pedestrians are more likely to be killed whereas the majorities who lose their lives in transverse rural settings are the passengers.
The main cause of road accidents in Kenyan roads is as a result of human error particularly with respect to drivers, riders, pedestrians and vehicle defects which affect the possibility of an accident. You find that some drivers drive while drunk and this impairs their thinking reasoning and coordination which are necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle.
There are drivers who exceed the speed limit and this may lead them to losing control when negotiating bends or corners leading to an accident. There those who drive in distraction and they lack complete attention on the road, some of them drive carelessly and have totally no consideration for other road users, and some even engage in risky behaviors that ignores the safety of others for instance overtaking in a wrong manner or in narrow roads.
Jay walking is also another cause by pedestrians who cross roads outside of a cross walk whether marked or not while some cross an intersection or traffic signal when it is on red. Riders also experience these accidents because the motorcycles may be more susceptible to unsafe road conditions than other vehicles on the roads, and are less visible to cars, less stable and high- performance capabilities and lack full protection of an enclosed passenger car.
Other causes of road accidents are inclement weather, traffic officers who will accept bribes to look away creating an environment for more accidents for example the officers did not check on how the vehicle was loaded and so an accident occurs thereafter because no action was taken. Bad roads also contribute to accidents for instance potholes on roads such as Daraja Mbili junction along Kisii routel among others.
In order to reduce these road accidents, traffic laws should be enforced, monitoring of vehicles should also be done by traffic officers. This includes the introduction of alco- blow for drunk drivers, raising awareness of the policy makers on existing effective countermeasures and mobilizing resources for implementation.
There is also need to establish an effective lead agency and development of stakeholder collisions to address the problems. Periodic roadworthiness tests should also be done to reduce the number of crashes caused by vehicle defects, and repairs to be done to poorly designed roads or those that have undergone weathering.