Revelations by the National Transport Safety Authority that 1,968 people were killed in road crashes between January and May should make both policymakers and road users sit up and ask themselves why the toll is so high.

This number is unacceptable especially given Kenya’s cars to population ratio. There are many countries with a higher ratio but fewer accidents, so the unacceptably high toll cannot simply be attributed to too many vehicles on our roads.

Road users of all classes have contributed to the mess, largely due to reckless driving or riding and failure to observe basic rules, such as ensuring that vehicles are roadworthy. 

There was a proposal, which now ought to be seriously debated and implemented, to ensure that all vehicles are inspected by competent personnel every two years to ensure that they are fit to be on Kenyan roads.

Failure to enforce inspection, which is mandatory in countries that take road safety seriously, has allowed too many unroadworthy vehicles on Kenyan roads and highways. Too often, such vehicles stall in the middle of highways, without any warning signs, thus leading to fatal but avoidable crashes.

Lack of sufficient policing, particularly on highways, where lane discipline and speed limits have simply collapsed, is also to blame. The police have dropped the ball and have allowed many drivers and motorcycle riders to be on the road when they shouldn’t. This makes a case for retraining traffic police to align them with the national vision of making roads safe.

Also worth looking into is road construction and design. Many road users rarely familiarise themselves with new roads and highways and continue to use the new infrastructure the same way they did the old ones.

This calls for constant road user education so that motorists and motorcycle riders are aware of their obligations especially when new roads are built that require modification of driver behaviour.

Again, there is a case for road user retraining and this should be made mandatory after a specified number of years say three or five. It should be made compulsory for those seeking to renew their licences to undertake refresher training for their licences to be renewed.

Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. However, offenders must be made to feel the pain of their infringements either through fines, being denied licences or being jailed to ensure that others learn from them.

There should also be a system that rewards good road users, say through cheaper insurance premiums or points that can be redeemed in other ways.