Traffic deaths: Weekend ‘hang-outs’ claim thousands of youth lives
The scene of an accident involving a train and a truck on Outering Road in Nairobi on November 3, 2020.
What you need to know:
- The nation lost more people aged between 30-34 years through traffic accidents, followed by 25-29 and 35-39 year-olds.
- The figures point to a worrying trend where the country is losing its most vibrant and productive population on the roads
Weekend hang-outs, binge drinking and drink-driving have left many young people dead in the last two years, a new study shows.
The latest National Transport and Safety Authority data indicates that a majority of road crash victims in Kenya are the youth, mostly on the weekends and between 5pm and 8pm.
The nation lost more people aged between 30-34 years through traffic accidents, followed by 25-29 and 35-39 year-olds. About 3,354 deaths were recorded between Friday and Sunday, while Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays claimed 2,479 lives.
Over 68 per cent of the deaths occurred in the evening rush hour as most people headed home or embarked on their weekend leisure activities, including drinking and meeting friends in social places.
Less than half of the same fatalities occurred between 8am and 5pm when visibility is clear and the likelihood of people indulging in alcohol far reduced.
The figures point to a worrying trend where the country is losing its most vibrant and productive population on the roads. Nairobi, Kiambu and Nakuru counties accounted for 1,995 deaths while Lamu, Wajir and Tana River had less than 20 victims.
Pedestrian deaths
The data also indicated a rise in pedestrian deaths, with 1,376 recorded in the 2019-2020 financial year, compared to 1,250 in 2018-2019. There were 875 fatalities from motorcycle accidents in 2019-2020, compared to 633 in 2018-2019, while 373 pillion passengers died in 2019-2020, compared to 280 in 2018-2019.
Road crashes are the highest contributors to disability, health burden and poverty through loss of bread-winners. Kenya loses about 3,000 citizens annually to traffic accidents, a significant contribution to the 1.35 million lives lost globally.
The leading causes of death in the world are ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lower respiratory infections respectively. Traffic accidents come fifth, just above HIV/Aids, stomach cancer and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Statistics from the World Health Organisation indicate that more than half of all traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists due to speeding, drink-driving, non-use of helmets, seatbelts and child restraints. Distractions caused by use of mobile phones while driving, unsafe roads, un-roadworthy vehicles, inadequate post-crash care and inadequate law enforcement on traffic laws also play a huge role.
While efforts to contain traffic deaths rank high in UN Road Safety Collaboration meetings, analysts say global fatalities could reach 2.4 million annually by 2030.
