Blinding lights the new hazard on our roads
Traffic on Nyeri-Nairobi highway at Karatina town. Many public service vehicles have been fitted with blinding LED bars, multi-coloured lights and flashing strobes.
In recent months, our roads have become flooded with motorcycles and public service vehicles fitted with blinding LED bars, multi-coloured lights and flashing strobes.
These lights are so bright and so distracting that they temporarily blind oncoming drivers and make it almost impossible to see pedestrians or judge distances accurately. Anyone who drives at night can confirm this has become a genuine hazard. These lights are not harmless decoration; they are a public danger.
This situation is getting worse, and yet the agencies responsible for keeping our roads safe seem to be looking the other way. These lights are not only unsafe; they are also illegal.
Rule 23 of the Traffic Rules is clear that vehicle lamps must be white or yellow and must be fitted in a way that eliminates any dazzling effect. It goes further to forbid the use of any spotlight or swivelling light that impedes the vision of other road users.
Off-road floodlights
The Traffic Act itself, under Section 55, states that no vehicle should be used on the road unless all parts and equipment, including lights, comply with the law and do not endanger others.
Despite this, every evening we encounter boda bodas with off-road floodlights, matatus with flashing strobes that resemble emergency vehicles, and cars fitted with blue and red LEDs that distort visibility. It is difficult to understand how something so visibly illegal is being allowed to spread unchecked.
This is not a complicated matter requiring new legislation. It just needs enforcement. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), traffic police and county inspectorate teams all have the mandate to deal with this.
Night travel
A driver blinded for just a second or two at night can easily veer off their lane or hit a pedestrian they did not see in time. With the amount of night travel on our roads, especially by long-distance buses, trucks and shift workers, this is a tragedy waiting to happen.
I appeal to the Ministry of Transport, NTSA and the police to take this issue seriously. Deal with workshops that are installing these prohibited lights. Carry out night operations to remove these illegal fittings. Our roads should not feel like a guessing game at night. They should be safe, predictable and regulated.
Fednarnd Chikira Mlati
