There must be leadership, even on the road

What you need to know:

  • It is unclear whether the lack of dialogue on this subject is due to fear, misplaced deference, or just simple intimidation, but with the increasing traffic issues we face, especially in Nairobi, it is a problem that we can no longer ignore.
  • It gets even worse when some of these VIP motorists — especially the red plate dignitaries and GK drivers — intimidate traffic police officers when they attempt to rein in their behaviour.
  • Although we have no figures on the number of accidents caused by VIP and GK vehicles through reckless behaviour, various government agencies are some of the major contributors to road accidents.

Former US President Ronald Reagan once said: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things; he is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”

December is the month when we see an upswing in conversations about our roads and what we can do to make them safer. There is one area we rarely discuss, however: how our leaders behave on the roads.

It is unclear whether the lack of dialogue on this subject is due to fear, misplaced deference, or just simple intimidation, but with the increasing traffic issues we face, especially in Nairobi, it is a problem that we can no longer ignore.

We all know the scenario. Traffic could be flowing smoothly when suddenly a blue light appears in your rear window followed by cars with tinted windows being driven erratically. A “Mheshimiwa” is on the move.

Then the inevitable happens; overlapping, flouting of traffic rules, driving on the wrong side of the road, and bullying other road users that is the norm for VIPs and government vehicles.

ALARMING INCIDENT

The other day, I witnessed a particularly alarming incident right outside my offices on Waiyaki Way. A trailer was moving down the highway at a fairly fast pace when suddenly four black SUVs emerged in speed from a slip road, complete with men in sunglasses in the back waving their walkie-talkies.

In quick succession, three cars blocked both lanes on the highway in order to enable the one VIP car to move along the highway. I closed my eyes as the trailer continued down the highway to the makeshift blockade, aware that its size would mean a longer braking distance.

Disaster was imminent, but luck must have been with the chase cars as they managed to swerve out of the trailer’s way just in time to save their lives. Their audacity left me speechless.

It gets even worse when some of these VIP motorists — especially the red plate dignitaries and GK drivers — intimidate traffic police officers when they attempt to rein in their behaviour. Is it any wonder that these actions by our leaders, who are supposed to set respectable standards for society, are trickling down to the rest of us?

These selfish and arrogant habits endanger many lives.

MAJOR ACCIDENT CONTRIBUTORS

Although we have no figures on the number of accidents caused by VIP and GK vehicles through reckless behaviour, various government agencies are some of the major contributors to road accidents.

The National Transport and Safety Authority and the National Road Safety Trust want to make it clear that this habit will no longer be tolerated.

It is encouraging to see that traffic police have started to take action against these rogue drivers. We urge traffic police not to relent in arresting and charging traffic offenders, no matter their status in society. No one should consider their business to be more important than other people’s.

We also call upon key stakeholders, especially heads of institutions, to address the menace of reckless driving of government-owned vehicles. We ask that the media and the public continue to shame these individuals via channels such as Road Hog on TV or Ma3Route on Twitter.

Let us support traffic police in the enforcement of the law and restore sanity on our roads to ensure the safety of all motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.

The writer is a Trustee at the National Road Safety Trust. ([email protected])