I have
repeatedly submitted this vital document to the only channel I believe would
generate results. Unfortunately, the editor of the daily nation newspaper has
consistently failed to publish it or even respond to my emails on any reasons
why it is not published. What appalls me is the shear ignorance on the contents
herewith which I believe would bring to light the fact that something deeper is
wrong with our standards in the assembling of the vehicle bodies locally in
spite of the only blame on drivers over speeding of their vehicles. As I seat
and watch the destruction of innocent lives due to the poor industry standards
in the manufacturing of vehicle bodies that are the buses and matatus entrusted
to transport thousands of people from one destination to another on a daily
basis, I’m gripped by a pain that intensifies with each accident that is
captured by the media. Just Have a look at the image of the vehicle below and
read on.
As we focus
on the extent of the damage in the mangled bodies of these buses, verses the
estimated speeds it could have been traveling, let us look at images of two
high speed trains in China that were involved in a head on collusion about two
years ago. The trains are otherwise known as ‘Bullet’ due to their speed. This
image below is of such high speed trains that colluded and then fell from a
bridge. Just look at its body after the accident.
Amazingly, only 33 people lost their lives
while a staggering 199 sustained injuries in this horrible accident, although
the deaths of the passengers caused an outcry and concern over the high speed
trains. But most Kenyans would be amazed by the fact that at such high speeds
and the fall from the bridge of the same trains, there were survivors at all
based on what we are constantly witnessing on our roads with our locally
assembled vehicles today.
I have held
discussions with numerous numbers of Kenyans on the real causes of the high
rate of deaths that we witness every time an accident occurs.
Well, let’s
first understand this word that is so ruthless and leaves a trail of sadness
and misery every time it rears its ugly self on our roads. An accident is generally defined as “an
unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically
resulting in damage or injury,” or a “crash involving road or other vehicles,
typically one that causes serious damage or injury.”
This then is the true definition of this ugly word that
every Kenya is wroth to see manifest on our Kenyan roads.
Without seeming to justify reckless drivers, we all know
that accidents do happen- sometimes even to the most careful drivers on our
roads and there is almost a saying that says, ‘accidents just happen.’
The UK is one of the countries in the world with the most
stringent traffic rules as well as the highest number of speed cameras. It is
also known to be the country with the most cautious drivers. Ironically, with
all these ‘goodies’ accredited to the low rates of accidents or incidents in
Britain, you still hear of isolated instances of road accidents in almost all
roads in the country with a few fatalities here and there. This is not
withstanding autobahns in Germany where vehicles are allowed to drive at
astronomical speeds whilst in the first lanes.
This tells us something- that no country in the world can
attain a hundred percent accident free rates on the roads.
Whereas the UK government and indeed many western countries
have set up measures that ensure that vehicles driving on the roads meet
certain standards of motor vehicle roadworthiness, the speed limits in some of
these motorways would see any accidents especially with PSVs and particularly
buses annihilate all passengers. Yet this is not usually the case.
The above image is of a bus that crushed through guard rails
in Belgium and toppled under a bridge. Although unfortunately five children
were killed and a further two were in critical condition while three more were
in serious condition after the accident, but let us observe the damage on the
body of the bus as opposed to the damages we witness on buses after an accident
here in Kenya. Observing the height from the bridge to the ground below and the
metal rail guards, one can only imagine what the bus would look like if it was
a Kenyan assembled one.
We must therefore go deeper in our thinking as well as
observation here in Kenya and try to understand why it is that almost all
accidents in Kenya and particularly those involving buses and matatus must
claim a life if not several every time they tip over. Here we must view these causes analytically
rather than holistically.
A comparison of Kenya’s situation with a country like
Britain where we have borrowed most of our laws from will show that the speed
limits in a motorway which is similar to the Thika super highway, is 75 miles
per hour with an allowance of at least 10 percent. This translated in
kilometers is equal to about 120.7 km per hour! Yet even those real accidents
that have occurred involving buses travelling at such high speeds have never
claimed the number of lives that we see with buses and matatus in Kenya. More
amazing is the fact that most of the buses and matatus in Kenya that have
claimed the lives of almost all the passengers whilst maiming others for life
would be hardly driving at 75km per hour which is merely 46.6 miles per hour!
This may imply that there is more than meet the eye
regarding either the roads or these vehicles here in our country. During the Moi
era, when most of the roads were in deplorable conditions, we used to hear and
reason out that it was due to the states of these roads and the tear and wear
caused by the same roads on these vehicles that was a major cause of accidents.
If this was truly the case, then we should have rid
ourselves of this menace with the good work that has been done by the Kibaki
administration, with the upgrading and investing in modern road
infrastructures. So where should we actually direct our blame for these
atrocious mishaps, as the bucks must stop somewhere?
I developed an interest a while ago, of trying to pin- in on
the real causes of these terrible calamities that seems to claim the lives of
our people at will, with such glaring impunity as can never be witnessed even
with our notorious politicians.
When the breakthrough came, it came more as a shock and
shame than the joy that would usually accompany such a discovery of finding the
cause that offer a solution that would most certainly save countless number of
lives if heeded by the relevant authorities.
One thing that always strike me whenever a bus or matatu is
involved in an accident where they especially role over or overturn is the fact
that in most cases than not, the upper part of the vehicle’s body, from the
bottom of the window up is usually ripped apart or mangled beyond recognition!
A trait that is associated with over- speeding, but which would be proved wrong
by a simple thought experiment. The experiment would involve lifting any of our
locally assembled buses and slowly putting it to the ground with the upside
down, then pushing the vehicle at a speed of about 10km per hour over a certain
distance.
Although this is currently just a thought experiment, it may
be found to be close to the truth that such an experiment would see the upper
part of the body of the bus from the bottom of the windows up, ripping apart.
This will be found to be caused by the weight of the lower part of the bus
including the chassis and the engine, verses the weak superstructure of the bus
that forms the cover of the passengers seated in it.
This in turn in real accident turns the bus into a
guillotine that mauls the passengers mercilessly causing the large number of
fatalities usually witnessed. It does not matter whether the passengers wear
safety belts or not. It does not really matter if the bus is travelling at high
speeds or not. It may not even matter much whether the bus is overloaded or
not- one thing will always stand out- lives will always be lost!
The amazing truth that will shock many on the real causes of
these endemic road carnages is hidden in the standards of the bodies of these
buses by the body builders!
If you look closely into these bodies, you will note that
the only metal holding or joining the lower part of the body from the upper part
of the windows is just the angle- lines separating the windows! What I mean is
that there is no reinforcement whatsoever to protect the passengers from this
sleeping guillotine which is readily awakened by the slightest accident only to
claim a soul in the most grisly manner!
A further investigation will show that the welding at the
joints of these angle- lines is usually of a very poor quality, not
withstanding that the quality of the metal- bar itself is very low.
A lot of blame has been heaped on the drivers of these buses
some of whom are usually almost innocent. With due respect I point out to the
hefty fines imposed on drivers which appear to be of little or no consequence
as most of the drivers involved in the accidents usually perish alongside other
passengers with a few exceptions here and there.
In the light of these revelations, we must aim our focus
from the police force that usually bears the blunt of the blame for not doing
much to curb these accidents. We must instead set our focus on the reflection
of the role of the two institutions that are mandated with the responsibility
to ensure that we have a set of standards that safeguard the welfare or
wellbeing of the entire Kenyan populace. These institutions constitute the
ministry of Industrialization which should have in place a set of guiding
principles on the standards that these body builders must adhere to, as well as
the notorious Kenya Bureau of Standards- the same institution that is
responsible for all the fake and substandard equipments flooding the country
today!
It is an interesting reflection on the general climate of
thought that none of these institutions has ever come to a conclusion that their failure to set
safeguards on these industry is the major causes of the number of deaths that
we witness almost on a daily basis in Kenya today.
It is however clear that whereas we may not expect those
mandated with the noble task of ensuring that we travel safely to physically
prevents accidents; they must know that we have a fundamental right to safety
as we travel in public transport without fear of death at the slightest tip-
over of these vehicles! They must therefore look into these shortcomings and
ensure that buses are reinforced with tubular u- tube metal bars connected from
the superstructure to the chassis as standard. This reinforcement is similar to
what we see in rally cars and they may not carry much extra weight but may save
lives of countless number of Kenyans who rely solely on this mode of transport.
If anything, the amount of fillar (sic) evidently used to paste the buses underneath
the paint would instead compensate for these tubular bars.
A further challenge is to the insurance companies that have
to insure and compensate for the lives of those insured by the bus owners. It
beats logic that these insurance companies that are usually so slow in
compensating and usually look for the least excuse not to pay out have never
thought of investigating the building standards of these vehicles.
A keen observation will reveal that insurance companies have
a duty to also set standards which ensure that they are not losing money due to
faults that could have been avoided.
It is therefore apparent that, whereas accidents may not
entirely be eliminated, or avoided, but the grisly deaths that cost our country
dearly whilst leaving countless number of people traumatized for life, may be
avoided, if only those responsible may stop sleeping on their jobs.
Good Idea Joe.
ReplyDelete