Cabinet okays punitive traffic amendments

The Cabinet has approved proposed amendments to the Traffic Act that are geared towards dealing with traffic offenses which account for 25 percent of accidents in the country.The amendments will review the registration and licensing of motor vehicles and the issuance of driving licenses. They also seek to deal with the failure of a driver to produce a driving license, driving beyond the stipulated speed limit, driving under the influence of alcohol and causing death from reckless driving.The traffic amendments will also deal with the issue of unroadworthy vehicles, punishment for hit and run drivers and the fraudulent issuance of motor vehicle documents.The amendments propose to increase tenfold traffic offences fines. For example, a first conviction on reckless driving will attract a fine of Sh100,000 or imprisonment for two years or both. A second conviction on the same offence will attract a fine of Sh300,000 and/or imprisonment for a year or disqualification from driving for a period of two years.The proposed amendments should help bring order to public service transportation and general order from all motorists. In this regard, all PSV license holders will undergo a mandatory retesting after every two years.The Cabinet directed the Minister for Internal Security to stamp out corruption on the roads and directed that the number of road blocks be reduced in conformity to EAC rules. There should also be an enforcement of weigh bridge regulations as agreed under the EAC Protocol. Steps will also be taken to ensure the security and safety of passengers especially in regard to Probox vehicles and boda bodas. An integrated transport management system will also be put in place.