Nairobi-Nakuru highway among world’s deadliest
The wreckage of a 14-seater matatu involved in an accident on the Nariobi-Nakuru highway. FILE PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH |
What you need to know:
- The fear factor ratings for the Nairobi-Nakuru stretch were caused by such variables as altitude, lack of barriers, driving techniques, the condition of vehicles and the weather
- This year alone, 31 accidents have been reported on the Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway, claiming close to 80 lives
The Nairobi-Nakuru highway has been ranked among the world’s most unsafe roads in a new survey on safety.
The highway on which six people were killed and several injured in an accident in the Kinungi area on Saturday morning was the fourth riskiest in the world. In Africa, it was only second to South Africa’s Settlers Freeway.
The report published by the Hertfordshire-based Driving Experiences looked at, among others, the World Health Organisation’s global status report for 2013 on road safety.
The fear factor ratings for the Nairobi-Nakuru stretch were caused by such variables as altitude, lack of barriers, driving techniques, the condition of vehicles and the weather.
These, however were not the biggest risks on the highway. That dubious honour went to drink-driving and poor road conditions.
“It’s not the road conditions but the drivers that are the main hazard on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway,” the report said.
A month hardly passes without a fatal crash on the road.
This year alone, 31 accidents have been reported on the Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway, claiming close to 80 lives.
The most recent was Thursday’s collision between a truck and a matatu that claimed 11 lives. Which begs the question: Why do so many accidents happen on this road so often?
