Road agency, drivers’ bad habits blamed for slaughter in Salgaa

Laxity by Kenya National Highways Authority officials as well as drivers’ reckless behaviour have been blamed for accidents at the notorious Salgaa and Sachangwan blackspots in Nakuru County.

Dozens of people were killed in separate accidents during the festive season last month. One led to the loss of 36 lives.

KeNHA has not put up new road signs and does not maintain the existing ones. This has seen many motorists miss crucial safety information.

While some signs have been vandalised and are yet to be replaced, some have faded while others have been tampered with. 

Some markings on the busy Nakuru-Eldoret road have faded, contributing to failure by drivers to maintain lane discipline.

Drivers’ bad habits, on the other hand, have contributed greatly to injuries and loss of lives.

VIOLATING TRAFFIC RULES

Many drivers were caught on camera by the Nation team, blatantly violating traffic and safety rules.

The road has many heavy commercial vehicles as it links Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and other East and Central African countries.

Around 7pm as we approach Salgaa township, we notice a truck parked by the road. From the look of things, the lorry is broken down.

The problem is that the lorry crew and mechanics repairing it have not placed any signs on the road, warning oncoming motorists of the impending danger.

This is what some road users subject others to, considering the busy traffic flow on the highway. Another common mistake on the stretch is speeding and careless overtaking by motorists.

Overtaking on the wrong lane, mostly by drivers from the Nakuru side heading to Eldoret, is nothing new.

CLIMBING LANE

Some motorists find it okay to leave the climbing lane and overtake on the right lane, not considering the dangers posed to passengers, pedestrians and the rest of the road users.

Dropping and picking up of passengers at undesignated areas by public service vehicles heading to Nakuru is another risky behaviour.

While KeNHA has made efforts to improve safety along the deadly stretch, including erecting speed humps, most of the road markings are not clear and cannot be easily seen from a distance.

Driving at night under such conditions is nightmarish.

While some of the road offenders get arrested, a gap in the traffic rules has seen most gain their freedom soon after.

The night travel ban aimed at reducing road carnage saw 13 long distance drivers arrested on the highway last week.

The drivers were released soon after because the magistrate court ruled that the offence was not supported by law.