Tue, 06 Dec 2016 10:11:23 +0000
GOVERNMENT did not act from without when it banned night travel by Public Service Vehicles (PSV). It followed an outcry by the public over the mounting casualty figures of road accidents.
Fifty-five percent of road accidents happened at night and most of them involved buses carrying scores of people, resulting in the high fatality rate.
It is therefore surprising that bus drivers should complain against the ban, saying it will have serious implications on the economy. Where were they all this time if they had something to say?
The Government gave the public one month in which to debate the issue before publishing Statutory Instrument no. 76 which is the cause of the outcry against the ban on night driving. As major stakeholders in the passenger transport sub-sector, bus drivers should have come out in the open to support or criticise the move Government was about to take.
As Vice President Inonge Wina put it the measure was done in the best interest of the country to save lives. Government could not watch people being maimed and their lives cut short through careless driving.
Every important decision has advantages and disadvantages. It is true that some people will be badly affected by the night ban. In some cases some passengers will find themselves sleeping in the bus just 10 km to their destination because the bus started off late or had a breakdown.
But this is nothing compared to the harrowing experience and consequences of a road accident. Travellers must just adjust their programmes and prepare to spend a night at a bus stop just to wait to board a bus the following day.
Many people will be inconvenienced in many ways but it will be better than not arriving home and losing all their property through a road accident.
While we regret that some bus crews may lose employment as bus owners reduce the numbers of their staff because fewer buses will be travelling daily, those affected should understand that Government did not desire to see them thrown out of employment.
Losing employment is not the end of the world. They can use their skills and severance pay in many other ways to earn a living. The bus owners will also use this opportunity to service their vehicles so that they do not break down so often as was the case in the past.
Statutory Instrument 76 is not cast in stone. Government will watch the situation to see if it will help reduce the road carnage. If it does not, the night ban will be scrapped and other measures taken to try and find a lasting solution to the escalating problem of road accidents.
The ban on night driving by public service vehicles needs the support of all stakeholders. Only then shall we know whether it will succeed.
