Recent horrendous road accidents in which more than 40 people have perished in several locations across the country once again underscore the need to enhance safety for motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.

The worst was certainly the horror smash at a roundabout in Kisumu Town, in which 26 people died on Friday. A bus ferrying mourners overturned at the Coptic roundabout black spot on the Kisumu-Kakamega highway. The driver reportedly lost control while negotiating the bend.

Locals have blamed the high number of accidents at this spot on a suspected poor road design, lack of clear road signs, and reckless driving. This is said to be the highest number of deaths in a single accident on this road.

Another eight people were killed in an accident yesterday morning in Kitengela on the Nairobi-Namanga highway. It was a head-on collision involving a lorry and a matatu, whose cause is suspected to have been speeding and reckless overtaking.

Locals say this is an accident-prone section, with at least seven people killed in the past two months, including a mother who was struck by a speeding lorry. They have called for the erection of speed bumps and proper road signs.

And on Thursday, another eight people died and scores were injured in a collision in Naivasha involving a train and yet another bus.

The average annual death toll on the roads is nearly 3,000. However, 4,748 people died in road accidents last year, a 5.2 per cent increase over the 2023 toll. But in the first three months of this year, at least 1,139 people have been killed.

The many deaths in the past few days should be a cause for concern. The trouble with the authorities is their knee-jerk reactions that often fizzle out as the dust settles.

A road safety culture must be promoted by taking decisive action to correct any poor road designs and firmly cracking down on dangerous and reckless driving, drink driving, and speeding.