“Reckless”
seems to be the middle name of most Kenya road users.
We live in
a country which largely depends on road transportation to move people and goods
from one point to another, but how we behave on the road leaves a lot to be
desired – literary. It is true that about 85% road crashes that occur on our
roads can be traced back to human factors and that’s what needs to be addressed
to achieve a significant reduction in the number, rate and severity of road
crashes in our country. Note that I have deliberately avoided using the word “accident”
because we are talking about crashes that can actually be prevented.
Globally,
road safety initiatives rotate around what can be called the 3E Approach – Engineering; Education and
Enforcement. I’ll talk briefly about each.
Engineering obviously deals with the design and
construction of roads and facilities like bridges and any other thing that constitutes
road infrastructure. Engineers determine the safest gradient, width and material
to be used on each road so as to guarantee durability and safety of road users.
They design the roads to make them co-exist harmoniously with other services
running parallel or in the vicinity of the road network. A different branch of Engineering
deals with the design and manufacture of motor vehicles that are ergonomically safe
and suitable for use on public roads. This particular area has seen tremendous growth
with lots of research on the use of safety belts, introduction of airbags,
side-impact protection, anti-lock braking systems and many other developments that
have made vehicles safer. Making good
use of Engineering gives us good results – case in point? Sweden, the home of
Volvo and Scania vehicles. Sweden has one of the lowest rates of deaths related
to road crashes in the worlds, yet they have more vehicles on their roads than
all the cars in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi put together.
Education here refers to Road Safety Education – the
road-users’ understanding and application of basic road safety. Our roads are
infested with people who lack courtesy and will deliberately block a junction
because we don’t want other road users to go ahead of us – we don’t give way,
period. We don’t know how to maneuver a round-about and the traffic cops must
be there to shepherd us like sheep. We drive while yapping away on the phone,
some even send text message while driving, in utter disregard to the safety of
other road users. Our PSV drivers also have cell phones and you will always find
them on the phone, endangering the lives of their passengers. That phone call
can surely wait. Pedestrians also use the roads like footpaths in the village, some
walking haphazardly or stopping to catch up with lost acquaintances or exchange
telephone contacts in the middle of the road. Consumption of alcohol and other
toxicants by road users make the situation even worse. It is a fact that
alcohol and drugs have the capacity to impair judgment and delay our reflex
action. Drive around Nairobi on weekend nights and you will appreciate the
danger posed by intoxicated road users. Education (or training if you like)
aims at changing the attitude of road users and converting knowledge to action.
Consistent and correct Road Safety Education is the panacea in tackling the 85%
blame that is apportioned to human factors as the main cause of road crashes. Remember
how HIV/Aids is being tackled head-on through a mass education/awareness
campaign? Well, Road Safety needs a similar campaign. The media can play a big
role here.
Last but certainly
not the least is Enforcement – This is
the job of Traffic Police Officers, but one John Michuki once took special
interest in it and personally oversaw strict enforcement of traffic rules in
2004. The results were amazing, but things went back to the bad old days. With
strict enforcement, all road users will find themselves following the traffic rules
word for word. Installation of traffic cameras and imposing stiff penalties against
offenders should be considered. Traffic police officers must enforce the rules
without favour, fear or intimidation. Unfortunately corruption has eroded public
trust in the police. With as little as 500 shillings, rather than arresting
you, a traffic cop will happily wave you on with bald tyres, briefly forgetting
that as “Utumishi kwa wote” his duty
is to protect your life and property. With proper Road Safety education,
long-distance truck drivers will also see their role in ensuring the safety of
road users by safely driving and parking their trailers especially at night. They
have been accused of failing to put warning triangles and hazard lights when
their trucks break down in the middle of the road.
Road safety
cannot be achieved by implementing only one or two the 3Es, neither can it be
achieved by partly doing a little bit of all the 3, NO! They are like the 3
stones that support the cooking pot. The authorities therefore get it all wrong
when they order massive crackdowns to arrest PSVs with music, or with more than
one colour, instead of checking the mechanical soundness of a vehicle and its
perceived safety. The old jalopies that are nothing but metal contraptions are
actually death traps. When you look at road crash victims you will notice that most
of their injuries are usually caused by the metal bars used in the fabrication
of PSVs’ interiors. Many have very little cushioning. I’m not sure if KEBS has
ever checked the material used to fabricate our buses. Why would a whole bus be
reduced to a mere chassis upon impact?
Road safety
is also about knowing the appropriate speed. Modern vehicles have been designed
for both speed and comfort. A good driver should use his sense of judgment to
determine the best speed that will not unnecessarily jeopardize the lives of
other road users. However, racing on the roads is a big NO. Always drive at a
speed that you can comfortably control your vehicle and safely stop it when
necessary.
While the
traffic police have a duty to remove un-roadworthy vehicles from our roads, the
government has a duty to fix “un-vehicleworthy” roads too. We have seen road
crashes caused when drivers swerve to avoid a pothole. We have also seen newly
reconstructed roads with no markings at all, leaving drivers to create
imaginary lanes on the road. Signage is almost none-existent except along the
new Thika Road. These might look trivial but they have a big contribution towards
road safety.
As a road user, ensure you observe all the basic
rules like keeping left unless overtaking, belting up all the time, driving at
safe speeds, giving way and general courtesy on the road. Riders and
pedestrians also have a contribution, one of your duties is to See & Be Seen
– ensure you have a clear view of the road and that other road users can see
you from a safe distance. Use of helmets and reflective jackets is mandatory
for riders. Passengers must always belt up too and avoid boarding overloaded
vehicles. It’s safer and better to arrive late than not to arrive at all.
My safety begins
with me. Your safety begins with you.
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