Pedestrians lead in road fatalities since January – NTSA

Statistics show that pedestrians accounted for 403 deaths out of the 1,090 recorded.

In Summary
  • As at Sunday, at least 233 passengers had lost their lives in road crashes compared to 178 in 2023, the statistics revealed.

  • Some 84 drivers have also lost their lives in road accidents since January, representing a decrease compared to 100 in the same period last year.

ACCIDENT
ACCIDENT

Pedestrians recorded the highest number of fatalities in road accidents that have occurred since the year started.

This is according to statistics from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) collected between January 1 to March 24, 2024.

The data seen by the Star shows that pedestrians accounted for 403 deaths out of the 1,090 recorded during the period under review.

This is an increase compared to the same period last year where 343 deaths were reported.

The data, however, showed a slight decrease in deaths involving motorcyclists which stood at 260 compared to 276 recorded same period in 2023.

As at Sunday, at least 233 passengers had lost their lives in road crashes compared to 178 in 2023, the statistics revealed.

Some 84 drivers have also lost their lives in road accidents since January, representing a decrease compared to 100 in the same period last year.

Ninety two pillion passengers have also died compared to 96 witnessed last year.

This year, only 18 pedal cyclists have died from accidents within the period under review compared to 19 recorded in 2023.

In one of the most recent accidents, 11 students from Kenyatta University lost their lives in a collision involving their bus and a trailer in Maungu on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway on Monday, March 18.

The students were heading to Mombasa on a trip from Nairobi where 42 others sustained serious injuries. Some are still in critical condition.

The spike in road crashes prompted Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to last week announce the immediate commencement of a nationwide crackdown to curb road accidents.

Speaking in Kisumu, the CS said the crackdown will target all unroadworthy vehicles (private, public, institutional), drivers, riders, and pedestrians.

"We must obey traffic rules, we must all work together and clean our roads from all manner of rogue road users who are careless," Kindiki said.

"It's up to Kenyans to save ourselves because these deaths are too much and premature."

The programme is being run concurrently by the Traffic Department of the Kenya Police Service and the National Transport Safety Authority.

The teams on Wednesday mounted road safety checks on major highways and impounded vehicles and motorcycles for flouting traffic regulations.  

CS Kindiki insisted that officers must strictly enforce the law and must also fight reported corruption on the roads.

"Any law enforcement officer engaging in corruption on the roads or elsewhere be severely punished," he said.

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