The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) marked the World Day of Remembrance for road crash victims.
NTSA and other stakeholders marched from their office to MKU Pavilion in Thika in remembrance of those who have lost their lives or received injuries as a result of road accidents.
In 2005 the United Nations globally endorsed the third Sunday of November as a day to appropriately acknowledge victims of road traffic injuries and their families.
Reports by the (NTSA) and the Kenya Police have revealed that around 4,000 Kenyans lose their lives through road crashes annually, with speeding being mentioned as the leading cause of death and injuries globally as road experts push to reduce road crashes by fifty percent by the year 2030.
Speaking during the event, NTSA programmes director Samuel Musumba said it was important for drivers to observe speed limits as most of the road accidents witnessed in the country were attributed to human failure.
“We are pushing for zero road crashes as we have established that ninety percent of crashes are caused by human error. This is not to insinuate that mechanical errors do not occur, but they are minimal and they contribute to less than ten percent of road accidents.”
“We are therefore asking drivers to exercise caution, observe speed limits, and consider other road users such as pedestrians, bicycle and motorcycle riders, especially during this rainy season,” said Musumba.
He added that NTSA was working closely with the County Government of Kiambu on transport systems keen to separate pedestrians from vehicles.
“We have partnered with KENHA to construct pedestrian walkways and flyovers that are separate from roads to ensure that pedestrians are not in direct contact with motor vehicles on the road. Plans are also underway to install CCTV cameras on major roads for surveillance purposes because we acknowledge that for cities to be sustainable, we have to ensure that the roads are safe for all people, one vehicle at a time,” he said.
Kenneth Mwangi, a road crash survivor presents at the event urged motorists to be careful on the road as he warned against speeding.
“I was knocked down by a speeding driver earlier this year as I attempted to cross a road on my way to work. It happened so fast and I have now been confined to a wheelchair as I lost all sense of feeling in my legs. The healing process has been slow and I am slowly coming to terms with the changes that have come as a result of the accident but I am lucky to be alive. I urge all drivers to maintain speed limits allocated by the governing authorities so that we ensure that what happened to me does not happen to anyone else,” said Mwangi.
The 2023 Kenya Demographic Health Survey shows that at least 4,690 people lost their lives on Kenyan roads in 2022. The year they recorded 21,757 road accident casualties, representing a five percent increase from the 20,625 deaths reported in 2021.
The number of casualties in 2021 was 4,579, while the number of victims who sustained serious injuries in 2022 was 9,935, a decrease from the 10,050 who were critically injured in 2021.
By Hellen Lunalo
