The National Transport and Safety Authority, NTSA, with the introduction of iTMS (Integrated Transport Management System), has begun implementing a proposition to help reduce road accidents. Cases of road accidents in Kenya have been on the rise since the year began.
The iTMS system will have speed limit checkers and will be able to check a motorist’s validity on the road.
NTSA Director General, George Njau, speaking in Mombasa at a National Technical Stakeholders conference on improving road transport safety, said,
“At the end of June, we shall roll out countrywide where police will be equipped with smart applications to help them automatically collect key road data for easy action.”
He also stated that they have opened the National Enterprise Centre which focuses on improving the processing of key road users’ documents such as driving licences and other documents by 300%.
Attendants of the conference are also pondering the possibility of changing the urban area speed limit from 50 kph to 30 kph.
As of May, statistics have revealed that there have been 1,816 deaths related to road accidents, with Nairobi county and Kiambu county the most prone areas for these occurrences.
“Last year, Nairobi and Kiambu recorded 521 and 460 cases respectively, with the same trend being reported this year. We have also noted that most cases, accounting for 66%, are happening between 4 pm and 10 pm, on weekends,” NTSA Deputy director for road safety, Duncan Kibong stated.
The statistics reveal that most victims who have lost their lives so far this year are aged between 24 and 34 years old, males accounting for 84% of the total death figures.
In a report released by NTSA on Tuesday, motorcyclists are the main cause of road deaths this year, with figures estimated at 1,576 deaths. Collectively, the death cases have increased by a significant 9.3% as compared to this time, last year.
NTSA, and other road safety stakeholders such as KURA and KeNHA, scheme of action will be finding the best possible solution to mitigate crashes in Kenya. Reports show that Kenya loses 5% of its Gross Domestic Produce every year to road accidents.
List of NTSA offices in Kenya and their contacts (Updated)
A week ago, the government of Kenya in conjunction with NTSA announced that they will be sanctioning vehicles that do not follow road safety guidelines, more so the Public Service Operators, PSVs.
All vehicles are also expected to be roadworthy and motorists present legal documents when stopped by traffic police. Any action contrary to the stipulated terms, the National Police Service is mandated to impound the vehicle.
Violation of the traffic rules might also get motorists’ licences revoked as per the announcement.
This also applies to campaign vehicles which have been ordered to abscond from playing loud music around schools and hospitals, hiding number plates with posters and stickers and operating without number plates.
