Targeted efforts must be put in place to tame road crashes costing developing countries at least three per cent of their gross domestic product, the United Nations has said.
Kenya is among the countries grappling with increasing cases of road crashes.
The National Transport and Safety Authority estimates that at least 3,000 Kenyans perish on the roads each year.
The latest statistics from NTSA show that at least 1,139 people died between January 1 and March 31, 2025.
This number reflects a slight decrease compared to the 1,166 deaths in 2024.
Pedestrians were the most affected at 420, followed closely by motorcyclists at 301.
Passengers were the third with 189, while pillion passengers accounted for 130 deaths.
At least 83 drivers and 16 pedal cyclists died in the first quarter of the year.
Efforts to have in place non-motorised lanes, such as for cyclists and pedestrians, during road construction are underway.
A bill was introduced last year at the National Assembly for that purpose.
The Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill 2024 calls for uniformity of design and standards of lanes for non-motorised transport.
The UN said there is a need to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
“Walking and cycling should be the most ordinary and, therefore, the safest modes of transport,” said Etienne Krug, who chairs the group known as the UN Road Safety Collaboration and directs the World Health Organisation’s efforts to tackle social and economic conditions that impact human health.
The UN General Assembly in September 2020 passed a resolution that established the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and set a goal to reduce deaths by at least 50 per cent by the end of the decade.
Even though some strides have been made, WHO says more action is needed across all policy sectors.
WHO says 1.2 million people are killed worldwide in road traffic accidents each year, with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for over one-quarter of these deaths.
The UN estimates that at least 90 per cent of the world’s roads do not meet pedestrian safety standards, and only 0.2 per cent of roads have dedicated cycle lanes, leaving pedestrians and bikers dangerously exposed.
Improving pedestrian and cyclist safety has far-reaching benefits for communities in terms of health, economic and environmental outcomes.
“Walking and cycling improve health and make cities more sustainable. Every step and every ride [helps] to cut congestion, air pollution and disease,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general.
According to WHO, approximately 1.19 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged five–29 years.
Some 92 per cent of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60 per cent of the world’s vehicles.
More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Two thirds of road traffic fatalities occur among people of working age (18–59 years).
Males are typically three times more likely to be killed in accidents than females.
Some of the risk factors include human error, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints, distracted driving, unsafe road infrastructure and unsafe vehicles.
Others are inadequate post-crash care and inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws.
by GILBERT KOECH
