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After much research into the Kenyan Law on issues relating to road safety, it can safely be said that there is no law requiring the use any means of child restraint while travelling with children in motor vehicles. The Traffic Act Section 22 A (3) states that “No person shall be in a motor vehicle which is in motion on a road and occupy a seat in that vehicle in respect of which a seat belt is fitted in accordance with this rule without wearing the seat belt”. That is all the direction you get. In the United Kingdom, the law requires that a child who is less than 12 years or 135 centimeters should have child restraints, in Australia, the age is 7.
On Friday July 29, 2011, an accident along the Meru – Nanyuki Highway resulted in the death of 3 students of Loreto Convent Msongari. Sixteen other students had critical injuries and were hospitalised in various hospitals, their lives changed forever. According to various media reports, it was indicated that the brakes on the bus failed and as the terrain was a downward slope, the bus spun out of control, rolled a couple of times and hit the stationary Kerugoya Boys school bus. The most chilling account of the accident was the young girl who said that the bus driver apologised before the accident occured.
Defensive driving can be simply be described as an advanced training course in driving. This course aims to teach the trainee to anticipate any dangerous situation despite the errors of others or in other adverse conditions. Defensive driving aims at reducing the risk of driving. Good defensive driving instructions inform the driver of all the information necessary for improving the driving skills. Defensive driving takes the responsibility of the driver's safety, as well as that of the other passenger's safety.
Ninety percent of drivers report witnessing or being a part of road rage, and according to Road and Travel, there are more surprising statistics: males are more susceptible to road rage than women (54% to 46%), drivers age 18-24 are more than drivers 65 and older (67% to 30%), and get this– drivers with children more than drivers without (59% to 44%). If you use a cell phone while driving, your chances of raging on the roads are higher than if you were to drive unencumbered (59% to 39%). At a glance, statistics look like stress is the catalytic variable, but other studies have shown there may be other contributing factors.
Since we first started fighting against distracted driving, I have met with the heads of nearly every leading automaker and I have asked each of them to do what they can to help us end this deadly epidemic.
In December, I met with BMW of North America CEO Jim O'Donnell, who shared my concern about the alarming number of deaths and injuries caused every year by distracted driving.
And I'm pleased to say that today, BMW is joining our fight with a new national anti-distracted driving campaign called, "Don't Text and Drive: When the engine starts, the texting stops . " Soon, people across America will see BMW's powerful new television ad, as well as print and online advertisements reminding drivers that no call or text is worth the risk.
With this initiative, launched just in time for the summer driving season, BMW has really stepped up to the plate. Their new ad campaign says it all -- see it for yourself right here:
As Jim O'Donnell said, "We developed this campaign in hopes of evoking emotion and conveying the serious dangers of distracted driving and its potential consequences.”
BMW’s message is clear, and I agree 100 percent: stay focused on safety
(Phone rings) Hello? Oh … hi! Nothing much … I’m just driving to a meeting. Hey … I’m almost at the roundabout and I can see a policeman. Can I call you later? Thanks. Bye! Did you know that over 1 million deaths in a year are caused by road crashes? Did you know that 70% of these fatalities occur in developing countries? Did you know that the World Health Organisation ranked road crashes as the 9th leading cause of mortality and disease?
