In collaboration with WHO, the Kenyan Ministries of Health and of Transport and Infrastructure jointly launched a national speed prevention campaign entitled Slow Down, Speed Kills. The campaign, which includes radio messaging and outdoor adverts on billboards, aims to raise awareness among motorists of the risks and potential consequences of speeding. The campaign is part of a WHO-led multi-year road safety promotion effort implemented as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Program.
There is extensive evidence from around the world that road safety campaigns complemented by the strict enforcement of laws can dramatically decrease reckless behaviour such as speeding. In Kenya since 2011, awareness raising campaigns and intensified enforcement of speed laws through the use of speed cameras in Thika and Naivasha demonstrate a remarkable improvement in speed compliance and a subsequent reduction in crash rates in those sub-counties.
The campaign material targets a multiplatform approach with visual posterts/adverts and radio spots in English and Swahili.
In Thika, speed compliance increased from 42% in June 2011 to 71% in June 2013, while the increase in Naivasha was from 50% to 77% for the same time period. All vehicle types improved speed compliance; however, public service vehicles (matatus and buses) and light trucks remain the least compliant in both districts.
“Kenya’s President Kenyatta has called upon all Kenyans to make a concerted effort to improve safety on the country’s roads,” notes Kelly Larson who leads the Global Road Safety Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We hope the President’s appeal will lead to concrete measures, including strong road safety legislation and stringent enforcement that will prevent the unnecessary loss of life on Kenya’s roads.”
An infographic on Kenya focuses on the amount of speeding in the two areas.
Our own YOURS work in Kenya continues to run and will use these recent road safety pushes to further stregthen our workshop content with youth leaders in Kenya. Our workshops have also focused heavily on the key risk factor of speed and our trained facilitators have also run workshops with young people in Thika and Naivasha via the Kenya Red Cross. Next month we continue our work in the country!
Alongside strengthened road safety campaigns, laws and safe roads, education of young people is a key part of our work in Kenya. Read about the Kenya Training of Facilitators here.