Public transport companies have until February 26 to install speed governors following a Presidential Order, which was gazetted in February last year to control over speeding. The Order is a timely intervention since Police has cited over speeding as one of the major causes of road accidents. Figures from the traffic police department indicate that about 200 people died while 300 others were injured in road accidents in the first half of last year, and most of these accidents were as a result of reckless driving and over speeding. Owners of public transport vehicles should take this requirement as an obligation to ensure that they don’t put the lives of the passengers at risk. In an attempt to make more money, drivers tend to over speed in order to make more trips, but with an installed speed governor, this will not happen. However, despite the advantages that come with installing speed governors, many have not complied even after the transporters had last year in November set their own deadline of January 15. It is the responsibility of every person to ensure that public transport safety is not compromised. Passengers should be vigilant to ensure that they board only vehicles installed with speed governors for their own safety, especially those plying upcountry routes. And for owners of the vehicles, they should also look at this as one of the ways to safeguard their investments. When a driver is on the road they tend to over speed in a bid to make more trips and make extra money on top of what the owner expects at the end of the day. To avoid such incidents of road carnage caused by over speeding, the directive on speed governors should be enforced and those who don’t comply should be heavily penalized.
