The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has urged motorists to respect vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and riders, to curb road crashes.

The call comes as the world celebrates the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week. The week is being observed between May 12 and 18 under the theme Safe Walking and Cycling, calling for evidence-based measures to make walking and cycling safe.

“This theme is important, particularly as it highlights serious challenges for vulnerable road users, including those who walk, cycle and ride. Recent statistics show that these categories constitute about 72 percent of fatalities on the road, and that is why this week is very important to us,” said Dr Andrew Kiplagat, Director of Road Safety at NTSA.

He added: “The week is important because we are using it to advocate and sensitise the public on safe road use. Most of us walk at some point, and we need everybody to understand and think about the safety of these types of road users, who mostly die due to motorists speeding and not paying attention to pedestrian crossings.”

Dr Kiplagat spoke in Nairobi, along Moi Avenue, after a walk organised by NTSA, the Nairobi City County Government, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), and St John Ambulance.

The walk, from KNH to the Central Business District (CBD), culminated in the marking of zebra crossings at the busy Kencom area along Moi Avenue.

Dr Kiplagat said road safety is a shared responsibility, where motorists need to pay attention to the presence of vulnerable road users, even if they are not doing the right thing, such as walking in the designated places or riding in the wrong direction.

He said that this year, fatalities from road users have reduced by 0.5 per cent compared to last year.

He noted that most lives are lost through speeding and drunk driving, which impairs vision.

“At the moment, we have about 1,547 fatalities among vulnerable road users since January, of which about 30 percent are pedestrians. When you combine this with motorcyclists and pillion passengers, the total comes to about 70 percent.”

He said the Road Safety Week will be marked across the country and will include sensitisation of road users on safety measures, insurance awareness for boda bodas, enforcement of compliance, and medical camps for drivers and conductors in both public and school transport.

Public sensitisation on road safety will also be held in churches on Sundays and mosques on Fridays.

Petanns Driving School Operations Manager Stephen Kinyua called upon NTSA to deal with briefcase and unregistered driving schools, which are churning out half-baked drivers.

“The government is also failing on enforcement because many riders do not have reflectors, helmets, and carry more passengers than allowed,” he said.

Kinyua Gitonga, a public transport engineer at Nairobi County, said they will continue to mark zebra crossings in the CBD.

“We have a plan to mark all crossings in the CBD, and we will also install traffic lights to address the issue of congestion,” he said.

According to Justin Menza from the transport unit at Kenyatta National Hospital, due to the many crashes involving the above categories, the hospital has been forced to establish a specific ward for the victims.

“The statistics of injuries among vulnerable road users are very high, and the majority are cases of broken limbs and head injuries. There is a need for more awareness among all road users that they all have a right to use the road,” said Menza.

Menza added: “Along some roads, there are now pedestrian walkways, which I encourage non-motorists to use. I also urge boda boda riders to avoid riding on the walkways because this forces pedestrians to walk on the road, thus risking their lives.”