Nyanza Regional Police Coordinator Charles Narangwi has blamed motorists for the rising cases of road accidents in the region.
Recently there has been a rise in the cases of accidents at Nyamasaria area along the newly constructed Kisumu-Nairobi road, with matatu operators faulting the traffic police for the rising cases of accidents.
Speaking in his office on Monday, Narangwi dismissed the claims saying that motorists are the main cause of accidents on our roads, as they do not observe the traffic rules.
“Most of them normally make dangerous U-turns whenever they get wind of Police checks and traffic police patrols without keeping in mind that there are vehicles coming from behind and aheadm,” said Narangwi.
The Regional Police Boss asked Kenyan motorists to follow Uganda’s example where traffic rules are observed.
“In Uganda, only one traffic policeman is assigned on the roads and motorists respect his or her presence and follow the laid down traffic rules. In Kenya however, one traffic police officer is not enough to manage our roads as most motorists will not respect the officer’s presence,” added the officer.
He expressed the challenge the police face to book court orders with traffic law-breakers, saying that there is lack of cooperation on the motorists’ side.
He asked matatu operators to observe the traffic rules and respect the presence of traffic police officers, adding that by so doing; accidents will reduce on our roads.
“We have to protect the lives of motorists, passengers and other road users. The only way to do this is by doing the right thing on our roads,” noted Narangwi.