Time to take stock of gains in road safety campaign
Rally driver Oliver Solberg (right) with his father Petter Solberg (left) who is a former World Rally Championship driver and Safari Rally Project CEO Phineas Kimathi share a moment during 2020 Rally of Monte Carlo on January 20, 2020 in Monaco.
What you need to know:
- The road safety initiative has the potential to reduce fatalities and injuries on Kenya’s roads.
- This event has also served to launch the “Helmet Wearing Coalition for Kenya”.
The Equator Rally, no doubt the most competitive round of the Africa Rally Championship, returns in 2023 calendar with a bang.
Organisers have promised to deliver a world-class event during the March 17-19 competition.
Competition aside, the National Transport and Safety Authority has urged all motorists to ensure the safety of learners as schools reopen.
Motorsport will this year take stock of gains made in the last two years of the pilot road safety project affecting Kenyans from all spheres of life.
By hosting the 2021 World Rally Championship Safari Kenya, Kenya positioned itself as the starting point for this ambitious initiative.
The special event which comes to fruition this year, was attended by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, former FIA President Jean Todt and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety and László Palkovics, the Minister for Innovation and Technology of Hungary showed the importance of the rally for Kenya.
Africa has the highest estimated road traffic fatality rate. Kenya is among the countries with highest road traffic deaths in Africa which cost the economy about Sh101 billion, according to the World Health Organization.
The road safety initiative has the potential to reduce fatalities and injuries on Kenya’s roads.
This event has also served to launch the “Helmet Wearing Coalition for Kenya”.
Supported by the FIA Foundation and led by Transaid, this coalition is a multi-sectoral group with participants from the government (National Transport and Safety Authority, the Ministry of Health and Traffic Police, the Automobile Association of Kenya - FIA Member Club, the Kenya Red Cross Society, the Motorcycle Taxi Associations, the private sector, civil society groups and international development partners such as the World Bank, the WHO among others working to develop safety solutions for Kenya.
Five thousand helmets (including 1,200 in Kenya) were donated by the “Keep Fighting Foundation”, inspired by Formula One legend Michael Schumacher’s family, the first partner of this FIA Programme, and Hungarian Motorsport Development Agency on behalf of the Hungarian Government which has chosen Kenya as a beneficiary of its donation of 6,300 helmets for road safety.
