Kenyan government urged to adopt campaign on road safety

The Kenyan government has been urged to take into account a widespread campaign on road safety to raise awareness among the citizens.

Director of Communications at Vital Strategies Road Safety Irina Morozova on Monday said that to promote road safety, the government must harness the power of mass media and provide people with the tools they need to adopt healthy driving habits.

According to her, human error occurs when driving, but systems should be in place to prevent this mistake from becoming fatal and to ensure that no one is killed even in the event of a crash.

Since everyone is impacted, Morozova claimed that road safety is a public health concern that requires an all-encompassing approach that considers the law.

"Responsibility is akin to a fundamental shift; it is transferred from the individual to the driver, to pedestrians crossing the street. The holistic approach is that this is a public health issue, regardless of how beautifully the street is planned," she said.

She noted that there is no purpose for law enforcement to be present on the streets when the law is broken, which is why communication is an essential element of the road safety system approach.

“Changes in behavior can be achieved through communication, which is especially important when enforcement and communication go hand in hand. Being conscious of the possibilities one may miss and the legal repercussions one may encounter, in addition to the effects on one's self and family, is beneficial,” she added.

According to the latest road safety report by NTSA, Male fatalities accounted for 83.36 per cent of all recorded road traffic-related deaths in 2023 while females accounted for 16.64 per cent.

The report revealed the leading causes of fatalities in Kenya are led by Losing Control (929) followed by causes that could not be traced (575).

While 310 fatalities were caused by misjudging clearance, distance or speed, the NTSA report stated those seriously injured increased by 8.42 per cent in 2023.

About 10,769 people are said to have been seriously injured in 2023 compared to 9933 in 2022.

A 2020 report from World Health Organization (WHO) indicates Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) are a global public health concern. According to WHO, 1.35 million people die annually due to RTAs.

WHO notes that the fatality rate is highest in African countries with an indexed estimate between 25 and 34 per 1,000,000 population.

According to the year 2020's RTA trend analysis, Kenya's fatalities and injuries have increased by 26 per cent and 46.5 per cent respectively, compared to 2015.

Incidences involving vulnerable road users (pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists, passengers, and pillion passengers) have reported an increase of over 300 per cent over the same period. RTAs are estimated to cost a country 3–5 per cent of the gross domestic product in terms of medicare, insurance, and loss of productivity, with 93 per cent of all world accidents occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Morozova said people should be aware of law enforcement's presence in case they break any traffic regulations.

She said they met NTSA officials last month and devised a plan to collaborate on the campaign.

“They have a very detailed action plan, and this month they will introduce a railroad safety action plan that includes communication techniques.”

She stated that based on her observations in Kenya, speed is the primary cause of issues, which is why restriction of speed is essential.

According to Vital Strategies communications consultant Tsion Kiros they have successfully conducted road safety campaigns in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Our primary focus was on reducing drunk driving and speeding. Through a targeted approach and collaboration with enforcement agencies, we achieved significant results,” she said.

Kiros noted before launching the campaigns, they conducted a comprehensive evaluation to understand their target audience.

“This evaluation helped us gain insights into drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to road safety risk factors, including speeding and drunk driving. Based on the study results, we identified key messages and tested several videos with our target drivers. As a result, we produced compelling and impactful campaign materials that resonated with our audience.”

According to her, the drink and driving campaign successfully reduced the during and driving cases in Addis Ababa from 10 per cent to one per cent and managed to decrease speeding from 49 per cent to 41 per cent.

The Vital Strategies Deputy Director of Communications Kristi Saporito said that with the strong partnership they have with government agencies, a lot will be achieved because the government is creating long-term strategic plans.

“I would certainly hope that within the next five years, some of those policy goals would have been achieved, or at least progress made towards them. I think you will also be seeing changes in other areas where the initiative works, including street design,” she said.

In Mombasa, she said that some locations have already received redesign treatments that are thinking of not only vehicle movement but the movement of people, something which is important.