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{
    "id": 510032,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/510032/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "mandatory for adults to wear safety belts. The late hon. Michuki made that a reality. However, we have got out of it; we do not practise it anymore. Statistics also show that seat belts save lives when used correctly. Wearing a safety belt reduces the risk of fatal injury for the front seat passenger by 45 per cent. That is just by virtue of wearing a safety belt. Risks of moderate to critical injury are reduced by 50 per cent for those riding in buses, vans and public service vehicles (PSVs) during crashes. Rear seat belts are 73 per cent good at preventing fatalities. We have lost our children on Kenyan roads because we do not wear safety belts, yet that is something so simple to do to protect our children. We have not provided in the Traffic Act the safety of children, and that is why we need safety belts for our children. Apart from the death rates of children, the world loses US$500 billion in human resource due to accidents. Kenya is estimated to lose US$5 billion exclusive of the value of life as per 2011 WHO records, which is 11 per cent of our GDP. The summary of this Traffic Bill, 2014, seeks to amend the Traffic Act, Cap. 403 Laws of Kenya, by introducing safety measures and enforcement mechanism in furtherance of the said objective. It also seeks to be enacted by National Assembly and is cited as the Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2014; it will come into operation 30 days after its publication. The Memorandum of Objects and Reasons of this Bill--- Clause 1 provides for the short title of the Bill; Clause 2, seeks to regulate speeds around schools in order to protect children when crossing the roads. Clause 3, seeks to prescribe fixed statutory penalties for offences by people who violate speed limits near schools. Clause 4 seeks to provide safety for children in motor vehicles by using safety belts in buses, school vans, and other mode of transport that is used to ferry children to and from school. Clause 5 provides for statutory penalties for the offenders. Today, Kenya is ranked No. 22 in the world in accidents, and has a population of 40 million people. China with a population of 1.5 billion has only 200,000 accidents a year. It looks like we have a problem in our hands, specifically with regard to children. In conclusion, when this House passes this Bill and it is time to have regulations, I will propose to fellow hon. Members that, in order for us to take care of our children, let us have a uniform colour for all our school buses in our country. If that is done, when you drive in front or behind a school bus, you will know there are children in front of you who must be protected. I beg to move and ask hon. Ottichilo to second."
}