Kenyans have been urged to embrace road courtesy as the most effective way of reducing traffic carnage and fatalities, even as the government announced a 10 per cent reduction in accident-related deaths in 2014.
According to Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Eng. Michael Kamau, the country saved 311 lives last year compared to 2013 through stricter enforcement of traffic rules. He however cautioned that a lot more needs to be done to change the culture of road users.
“We need to go beyond just enforcing road safety to changing the road culture and attitudes of road users in Kenya. Majority of traffic accidents in this country are attributable to a culture of recklessness and disregard for the rights of other road users including pedestrians and cyclists. Road courtesy is often neglected yet it is one of the most effective ways of reducing road carnage,” said Eng. Kamau.
He was speaking during the launch of a road safety campaign by National Oil dubbed ‘Give One, Take One’ seeking to encourage responsible behavior among Kenyan motorists. The initiative is seeking to sensitise motorists and other road users on the importance and benefits of giving way.
National Oil CEO Sumayya Athmani said the company will invest Ksh10 million in the initiative. She added the campaign would focus on addressing the ‘me first’ attitude so rampant among Kenyan motorists.
“We want to participate in changing the attitudes of Kenyans and have decided to focus on attitude. We want to encourage drivers to give way and entrench this credo into accepted behavior,” the National Oil CEO said.
