Accidents claim eight lives daily

Eight people are killed every day and 20 others injured in road accidents, according to the latest Traffic Department figures. Read (New drive launched to cut death toll on roads)

Deputy head of the driving test unit Ronald Munene on Thursday blamed most of the accidents on drunken-driving, overloading, speeding and operating defective vehicles.

“The I-don’t-care attitude adopted by some of our drivers and the long hours spent on the road especially by long-distance bus and matatu drivers resulting in fatigue are also fuelling carnage on our roads,” he said.

The traffic officer further blamed pedestrians who ignore foot-bridges and instead dash across highways, saying the behaviour was prevalent on the newly constructed Thika superhighway.

Police records show 2,532 people had died and 6,040 others injured in road accidents countrywide since January.

“I appeal to passengers to contribute to the ongoing road safety campaign by refusing to board matatus and buses that are overloaded or defective,” Mr Munene added.

The National Road Safety Programme — whose clarion call is — “Toa Sauti” (speak out) will encourage road users to take personal responsibility for their actions as drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

Head of occupational therapists at Kenyatta National Hospital Dan Nthiga said many people admitted to the Intensive Care Unit suffered from head injuries due to road accidents and the number had increased after stringent traffic rules known as “Michuki rules” were relaxed.

Another hospital official, Ms Penina Muhunu, said the department was carrying out a sensitisation programme among driving school instructors and a similar campaign would be carried out among matatu and bus drivers at the Railways termini in Nairobi.

Kenya Occupational Therapy Association chairman David Kabarak urged the police to consider employing occupational therapists while hiring specialists within the force to strengthen road safety.

At the Coast, two separate accidents involving seven vehicles at the same spot on Mombasa Road, in Sabaki, yesterday caused a scare. The travellers had minor injuries.

A truck from Mombasa hit a private car, which was in turn rammed by another car on the rear.

Black spot

At the same spot, four vehicles were involved in an accident at 8.30am after a lorry driver braked sharply, leaving four vehicles hitting each other.

“It was an accident after accident,” said a witness.

In Kiambu, motorists have been asked to be extra careful when driving along the highway when it rains after three accidents happened minutes to each other on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Kikuyu Base commander Elizabeth Wakuloba said three people died in the Wednesday evening accidents, while one was seriously injured.

Reports By Mike Mwaniki, Ponciano Odongo and Anne Macharia