Fresh calls for tough action against reckless driving have emerged after a video showed motorists dangerously overlapping on a busy highway, prompting the Motorist Association to accuse those involved of openly ignoring traffic rules and putting lives at risk.
The drivers’ lobby group said the behaviour captured in the clip reflected a worrying culture of impatience and carelessness on Kenyan roads, warning that such actions endangered not only the motorists involved but also innocent road users.
In response, the association urged law enforcement and road safety agencies to act without delay and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
“We urge the National Police Service, NTSA and the Director of Public Prosecutions to scan the identification plates of these motorists and issue a notice to attend court,” the group said.
The association also proposed the use of public summonses as a deterrent, citing earlier measures that had successfully instilled discipline among motorists.
“The summons should be in a newspaper advertisement. Michuki used to do that and it had a huge deterrent effect. These drivers have no excuse,” the association added.
Kenya experienced a major decline in road crashes in 2003 and 2004 after then Transport minister John Michuki enforced strict road discipline through tough regulations that came to be known as the Michuki Rules.
The video, which was shared by the Motorist Association, was recorded by another road user travelling along the same highway at the time.
The footage shows multiple vehicles squeezing into a narrow gap between lanes while overlapping, even though the road ahead offered no clear path back into their proper lanes.
As the recording vehicle, believed to be a truck, approached at speed, the overlapping drivers appeared stuck, forcing the driver filming the scene to partially leave the road to avoid a direct collision.
The incident illustrated how such driving habits place lawful motorists in danger, even when they are keeping to their lanes.
“These are the people who cause traffic jams. Look at me now, I’m forced to drive on the shoulders of the road,” the driver says in the clip.
He also questioned the reasoning behind the risky manoeuvres.
“This is surprising, overtaking knowing you have nowhere to go. Why can’t you just follow the queue and everything will align? These people in private cars are a nuisance, they are demonstrating a lack of common sense,” he added.
The episode comes at a time when traffic volumes have surged on major highways as Kenyans travel to different parts of the country for the festive season.
Pressure has been highest on narrow road sections, where private vehicles and public service vehicles compete for limited space.
In some cases, long traffic snarl-ups stretching for hours have tempted drivers to overlap as a shortcut, despite the clear danger involved.
The appearance of the clip has coincided with ongoing joint road safety operations involving the National Transport and Safety Authority, the National Police Service and the Judiciary.
The agencies are carrying out inspections on major highways and issuing on-the-spot fines to motorists caught violating traffic regulations.
Officials say the heightened enforcement is crucial as travel peaks during Christmas and New Year, periods that have historically recorded high numbers of road accidents.
NTSA has said it expects the joint operations to cut down road deaths, especially those caused by human error such as speeding, drunk driving and unsafe overtaking.
Under the Traffic Act minor offences rules, motorists who exceed speed limits or block and inconvenience other road users face a fine of Sh10,000 for each offence.
The Motorist Association has insisted that sustained enforcement and visible punishment are essential to discouraging reckless behaviour and restoring order on the roads during the festive rush and beyond.
