With a huge number of people traveling during the festive season, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has called on all road users to adhere to speed limits and stay off booze as careless driving actions are causing deaths on the roads.
In a press release on Saturday, December 20, the NTSA told PSV and commercial vehicles operators not to tamper with speed limiters, which are illegal and unsafe.
“Such acts of interfering with the speed limiters pose a threat to passengers, pedestrians, and other road users,” the authority stated, asserting that the acts also nullify the efforts by the government and car owners to make roads in Kenya safe.
NTSA reported that unfortunately, there has been an increased number of reported cases from the enforcement teams regarding the tampering with or disabling of speed limiters. The regulator again reiterated that speeding continues to be the major contributor to deaths from road crashes in the country.
The warning comes as Kenyan roads have seen an increase in fatalities resulting from accidents during the festive season when long distance journeys, night driving, as well as exhaustion, are quite commonplace. Some of these incidents have included one in which ex-Cabinet minister Cyrus Jirongo lost his life.
In a separate advisory, the NTSA also warned motorists that drinking and driving is a deadly gamble.
“Drink driving takes lives. It puts not only the driver at risk but the whole road community,” the authority added.
To counter the problem, NTSA has intensified random breath tests, or AlcoBlow, on major highways and busy roads. Several drivers were caught and arrested suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol during a night operation conducted on the Embu-Nairobi highway on December 19.
Those found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol face severe consequences, which include the suspension or withdrawal of their driving license, a fine ranging between 10,000 and 20,000 shillings, or a jail term of at least three months.
In other serious offenses, like speeding, the fine may go up to 100,000 shillings. With the festive holidays gathering momentum, the NTSA urged motorists to be responsible and reminded them of the importance of arriving safely rather than arriving first.