A three day road safety training organized by the university of Nairobi in liaison with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) kicked off today. The training which targets the Road Safety Mainstreaming Committee seeks to promote road safety awareness among the university fraternity.
The committee which is spearheaded by School of Engineering dean Prof. Ayub Gitau seeks to roll out a university wide campaign to promote road safety. The training comes at a time when the country is grappling with increased traffic accidents. According to a 2014 report by World Bank, deaths caused by traffic accidents surpass those caused by HIV, TB or Malaria. This is projected to increase and it is estimated by 2030, it will be the 5th largest cause of death in the world.
Countries in the west record better safety in road transport despite them having a higher number of cars per 100,000 people than third world countries. This can be attributed to lack of or lackluster implementation of road transport safety regulations. In line with this, the University Road Safety Mainstreaming Committee is tasked with ensuring the message of road safety is spread throughout the university.
The committee seeks to include road safety into the 2020/2021 financial year as one of the deliverables under performance contracting. It has also tasked itself with being at the fore front of implementing the road safety mainstreaming in liaison with NTSA. Among other things, the committee will also provide road marks and lollipop signs and traffic marshals to assist pedestrians cross the road. The training which will take three days will also go a long way in improving road safety and creating awareness within the university and beyond. It will also empower the committee with skills to train on road safety and create a domestic work place policy on road safety.
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