2,124 People Died In Road Accidents From Jan To Jun, NTSA Says

 The National Transport And Safety Authority (NTSA) says 2, 124 people died in road accidents from January to 25 June 2023.

According to the Authority, this is a decrease of 137 compared to last year’s record over the same period where 2, 261 people were recorded to have perished in a similar period in 2022.

A breakdown of the fatalities indicated that more pedestrians were victims of road accidents with 729 recorded fatalities in 2023 followed by motor cyclists at 561.

“Motorcyclists followed with 561 deaths, 403 passengers, 196 pillion passengers, 189 drivers and 46 pedal cyclists have died since the year started,” stated the report.

The number of fatalities for pedal cyclists increased from 33 recorded in 2022 to 46 recorded within a similar period in 2023.

NTSA on 19^th June started a re-test of all Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) and commercial vehicle drivers to curb road fatalities.

The Authority in a statement said that the periodic retest will be mandatory, conducted every three years before a driver renews their license.

“The re-test is for commercial and public service vehicle drivers and is a per-requisite for renewal of driving licenses with class endorsement(s); 83, D1, D2, D3, C, Cl. CE and CD. 2. The re-test shall be conducted every three years upon the expiry of driving licenses with class endorsement (s): B3, DI, D2, D3, C, Cl. CE and CD,”the statement read.

The re-tests are set to be conducted in all NTSA Driver Test Units and drivers will be required to apply online via their e-citizen account at a fee of Ksh.1,050.

“The re-test process involves administration of both written theory exam and oral submissions. The questions are drawn from the content provided in the Curriculum for driver training and testing,” added NTSA.

The drivers targeted are those of matatus, taxis, commercial and school buses, NTSA revealed in a statement on Monday.

NTSA also revealed that the re-test results will be processed within 24 hours of administration and a driver will have the chance to re-sit in the event they fail the test.