The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will on Monday scale up its National Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) crackdown in the country to nab rogue drivers as they seek to restore sanity back on the roads.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said that crackdown on rogue drivers will help to reduce the rising cases of road accidents and fatalities, as they seek to ensure increased compliance with traffic laws and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) regulations.
The crackdown will target drivers who have installed strobe or flashing lights, those with foreign number plates without motor vehicle foreign permits and illegal public service vehicles, which include illegal public service vehicles that operate at night.
Also targeted are speeding vehicles that carry miraa especially on the Embu-Nairobi highway and unlicensed tuktuks in Nairobi, Mombasa and environs. In Western Kenya, the crackdown will target vehicles that ferry sugar canes in sugar growing regions.
While conducting a road safety awareness campaign, Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna noted that there has been a rise in the number of crashes on Kenyan highways, and that many lives have either been lost or maimed.
“There are families without a bread winner, orphaned children; all because of highway crashes. The emotional and financial cost of this is immense, particularly when it is considered that a life lost can never be recovered. Losing a life of one Kenyan is a life too many,” said Mr Oguna.
He explained that the operation targets transport operators without a valid road service license, uniform, driver’s license, reflective jacket, PSV badge, or working with an expired one.
Other violations that road users will be charged for include operating without a helmet, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, carrying excess pillion passengers, worn out tires, contravening insurance and defective motor vehicles.
Drivers that exceed the speed limit will also be charged, as well as those operating without an inspection sticker and a speed governor. Also targeted will be drivers of unroadworthy motor vehicles. and those who cause obstruction, drive recklessly and lack lane indiscipline.
The government spokesperson pointed out that most road traffic crashes are caused by human error, speeding, poor state of vehicles and reckless driving or riding of boda boda.
Ignorant pedestrians who cross the road while texting or with earphones have also been blamed for contributing to fatalities.
“As a government, we are concerned about the rising cases of crashes. This must stop. Road safety remains a shared responsibility between all road users,” said Mr Oguna.
So far, in the last three days, over 1, 700 motor vehicles have been impounded in the country and owners arraigned in court in the ongoing National Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) crackdown.
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