Are you aware most road accidents are caused by private vehicles and most deaths approximately 70% involve personal vehicles.If you were to compare the death caused by PSVs and personal vehicles you will be amazed by how these toyota are finishing Kenyans.

Mind you am not saying proper vetting and adherence to traffic rule should not be followed but their is a perception that PSV Kill more and therefore more emphasis on safety is put on PSV overlooking the real killers: 'Toyota drivers'.

"Toyota Drivers" as you call them are a bit notorious on the road (especially within Nairobi) but the most reckless drivers on the highways are the drivers in Pajeros, Prados, Range Rover etc....Nani alisema ati because you have a big car you have to overtake everyone kwa barabara. Whats even more amazing is that these idiots will still try to overtake you when you're doing almost 150 K/H. Some of them even flash their headlights or hoot at you ati ndio you let them overtake you.

It's really quite simple: everyone keep the speed limit. Private 100kph out of town, 110kph on dual or more highway. PSV 80 kph. Keep your car serviced, don't overload, don't take unnecessary risks. Give way. Don't overtake carelessly.

Nowhere in the driving test does it say that it is compulsory to overtake the vehicle in front of you.

However I wonder how many of us know that it is illegal to overtake at junctions, at bumps, multiple vehicles at once.

However knowing Kenyans and our 'me first' culture...

Get parliament to enact a law where drivers hu cause accidents are blacklisted for two years and their vehicles banned from the roads for three years!! this will instil fear especially on PSV drivers

@ Selah, you could be right but lets talk numbers. The latest (competent) study on Road Traffic Accidents-RTAs conducted in 2009 indicates that 38% of recorded fatalities are caused by PSVs ( matatus and buses). Matatus and buses account for about 13% of the Kenya's vehicular population.

Pedestrians account for 47% of fatalities and then there is the new phenomenon of motor cycle boda boda fatalities, for which recent data may be unavailable.

Another interesting statistic is that men/males - with their "Shekha Mehta" driving prowess,account for 72% of all the RTA fatalities.

And another likelihood is that the number official reported is much lower that the actual fatalities. The WHO considers an RTA fatality to be that occuring between the time of accident and 30 days afterwards. I suspect that most of the numbers (3,000 or so per year) we talk about are those on the spot, on-the-way-to-hospital and on-arrival deaths.

The main problem in Kenya is the PSVs. One is because they carry large numbers of people so any accident is likely to be high-impact. Ask yourself why many insurance companies discriminate agaisnt PSVs as opposed to "Toyotas".

However, I would agree with you that most of the pedestrian deaths are caused by "toyotas", but the responsibility is equally shared between the totyota drivers and the pedestrians (mainly drunk ones and minors) themselves in most of the cases. If you want to know what I mean, try driving on Mombasa road past the Bell-Vue-South C to South B crossing point. You will see monkeys in clothes and many other monkeys behind the wheels. Or better still, Waiyaki way, where you will see adult men trying to jump over that "Great" wall with Nakuru or NBI bound vehicles zooming past at break-neck speeds.

Did I read somebody say "Some of these SUV drivers will try to overtake you even when you are doing more than 150kph?" Many monkeys on Kenyan roads.

The problem with Kenyan drivers is that everyone thinks his more experienced on the road than the other drivers...it has nothing to do with the kind of car you drive. You'll hear most of them bragging how stable "my Car" is on the road but you forget that it doesn't have an "auto-pilot". My main issue is with drivers who overtake dangerously on the Nairobi-Nakuru rd, like i said earlier you'll find two idiots trying to Overtake each other at 150 kph.

@ TAZ, the other big problem on our roads is the standpoint that others bear more responsibility than you. Unless you own a speedgun and usually stand by the road side to take readings from other cars, I pretty much believe that the 150kph reading was on your OWN speedometer. Why do you think that you can speed while others should not? Bure wewe.

On Christams Eve, I saw a woman driving on Uhuru Highway. Mistake number 1. A child of around five years was seated at the front passenger seat (we all know that the seat belt can not hold that size of a child well in the event of accient or hard braking). Kids from 0-6 years belong in specially designed car seats and at the back seat. That's why child locks are only found on the rear doors.

Mistake No. 2. I was driving on her nearside and noticed the door was NOT locked. (in police language, ni kama mtoto aliwekelea mlango tuu na mama akatoa gari). I hooted at her, trying tried to point at the door but she seemingly was too dumb to figure out why a stranger was doing that. Luckily at the Haille Sellasie junction, I managed to communicate my warning her. Even if you dumb enough to believe in your 5 year old's door closing ability, I thought the dashboard is one of those things you always look at before you engage your drive gear. Unfortunately things like these are common in Nairobi. Just give your self an assignment of counting the number of cars being driven with one or more doors half closed or worse the bonnets unsecured.

i thot i'd also do the same the other day but, someone told me if both of you put full lights none of you will see the way and that will result to a head on collision. i guess the only thing you can do is slow down and let the fool pass.

I have heard tales of ladies driving with Hand brake still engaged.... this is not a strange phenomenon

I purposed that I will never be in a rush, no matter the urgency. There's no point of rushing only to never reach my destination. Highway? My speed limit is 100kph, which is also relatively fast. If I have passengers, I have to moderate my speed. It starts with me. Besides the country side is so beautiful, why not enjoy the view.

If you are ever in a rush, why not use a plane. Like I've said in an earlier post, its our experience, and subsequently, confidence that kills.