NTSA to use new gadget to curb speeding

NTSA Road Safety Director Mathew Minyao on October 14, 2014 shows a printout from the Universal Policing Unit, a gadget that will be used to check digital speed governors on public service vehicles. The NTSA has refused to inspect more than 300 matatus and buses fitted with Frotcom speed governors. PHOTO | COURTESY

By  BEATRICE OBWOCHA

What you need to know:

  • The UPU uses software developed by NTSA and will be used to check speed information recorded by the digital speed governors.
  • Data collected on vehicles will be directly sent to the authority’s headquarters.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will in the next 14 days start using a Universal Policing Unit (UPU) to check digital speed governors and speed recorders in all public service and commercial vehicles.

The UPU uses software developed by NTSA to check speed information recorded by the digital speed governors.

The gadget is able to detect vehicles that have flouted set speed limits in a bid to enhance road safety.

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According to NTSA, more than 3,000 people are killed in road accidents every year.

NTSA Road Safety Director Mathew Munyao said the gadgets will also enable the agency to fight corruption because it is integrated with its main servers.

Data collected on vehicles will be directly sent to the authority’s headquarters.

“The Universal Policing Unit is a hand-held kit that will check the speed limit from the recorder and print out a summary to show if the limit has been exceeded,” he said.

The Universal Policing Unit, a gadget that will be used by NTSA to check digital speed governors on public service vehicles. PHOTO | COURTESY

The information will be transmitted to NTSA’s servers in Nairobi and will show the number of vehicles inspected in a day.

This, according to Mr Munyao, will curb graft as it would be easy to check the records transmitted by the UPU against the number of cases taken to court.

Mr Munyao said the gadget will increase the number of vehicles inspected in a day and ensure drivers do not flout the set speed limits.

He said the gadget uses rechargeable batteries that can last for more than 12 hours.

He said NTSA has given owners of public service vehicles 14 days to attend clinics organised by the authority to either fit the digital speed limiters or have defective ones repaired.

“After the 14 days, we will crack down on those who have been violating speed limits and prosecute them,” he said.

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