As the Easter weekend approaches, schools are closing, families all around Kenya are planning road trips to various parts of the country. A major concern for transport authorities across the country is Road Safety over the long Easter weekend. Kenya has had some of the worst Easter weekend accident statistics in the past. This isn’t something we want to experience again.
To help you maintain your safety on Kenyan roads, to ensure you have safe travel around the country.
Plan Your Route On Time
One of the first and simplest steps you can take in order for a safe journey is to plan your trip well. Road safety starts with staying on major roads and avoiding quiet areas (popularly known as panya routes) where you might be vulnerable. Another useful road safety strategy is to tell a friend or family member who is not with you about your route and your trip. Update them regularly on your progress so that suspicion can be raised if they do not here from you as expected.
Your Seat Belt
By law, all passengers in the car are required to be strapped in at all times, regardless of whether you’re sitting in the front or the back seat. The driver of the car is solely responsible for ensuring that everyone in the car is buckled up. If anything was to happen and one of the passengers is hurt because of not being strapped in, road safety rules state that the driver will be held accountable.
Drive Carefully And Follow The Law
This may seem silly, but make sure you drive carefully and abide to the rules of the road. Ensure that you, as a driver have your license on you at all times. Drive well within the speed limit and obey all road safety signs along the road. Finally, remember that although you’re on holiday and want to have a good time, drinking and driving is strictly against the law and can seriously affect your driving, especially when driving long distances.
Top Of Mind Road Safety Tips:
- Make sure that you plan your refueling stops well to avoid ending up on the side of the road waiting for breakdown assistance to arrive
- Keep an eye on the road a hundred meters ahead of you, this way you can spot animals and pedestrians and take action should they be in your line of driving.
- Do whatever you can to avoid stopping on the shoulder of a highway. If there is an off-ramp available, pull off there, otherwise, find a spot where you are well off the road. Road safety strategies do not stop once you have stopped your car. Being next to the road is a dangerous place to be and you should remain aware of what is going on around you.
- Make sure that you have pre-packed road safety equipment packed in your car in case of breakdown. Make sure that you have the necessary tools to change a tyre, a spare tyre, warning triangles, a cell phone and a torch in case you get stuck in the dark.
What we have suggested are just some of the things you can do to ensure that you are safe on the road. Let’s improve Kenya’s road safety statistics in 2015 to show the world that we are a cautious nation.