The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has introduced new measures aimed at ensuring the safety of learners during pick-up and drop-off hours within school zones.
In a statement released on their X account on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, NTSA announced the measures as part of the Draft Traffic (School Transport) Rules 2025.
The measures will see the introduction of vehicle attendants on school transport vehicles. The attendants will be tasked with ensuring the safety of children while commuting to and from school.
NTSA additionally has introduced crossing guards.
The guards will be tasked with directing, controlling and managing traffic and will be stationed at school entry and exit points, as well as pedestrian crossings to control human traffic.
The new rules will also see all school buses fitted with a stop signal arm.
This device will be attached to school buses and can be extended outward from the side of the vehicle when the vehicle stops.
The arm will signal other motorists to allow students to board or disembark safely and not to pass the bus while the process is ongoing.
“The stop signal arm and dual red-light indicator shall be used by the vehicle while it is at least thirty meters from a stop or is stopped on a road to permit school children to board or alight from it,” NTSA stated.
“Motorists will be expected to stop until the arm folds away and the lights stop flashing.”
Further, the proposal states that vehicles transporting children should display the words “SCHOOL BUS” on both the front and rear.
The rear of the vehicle must also include the phrase “DO NOT PASS WHEN RED LIGHTS ARE FLASHING” in block letters that are at least 8 inches tall and coloured black.
Furthermore, the vehicle should also display a complaint phone number following the message “IN CASE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN RECKLESSLY, CALL.”
2024 NTSA rules
In 2024, NTSA drafted the Traffic (School Transport) Rules, 2024 in a bid to enhance road safety.
According to the rules, school vehicles must be inspected twice a year and equipped with functional safety belts designed specifically for children.
Additionally, each vehicle is required to have at least one fire extinguisher that meets the applicable standards set by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
The fire extinguisher must be accessible and available for use on board.
School vehicles are further required to be installed with mirrors that allow the driver to have adequate visibility of the sides, rear, and both sides of the bus.
The seat handles, if any, shall be covered with a material that prevents injury in any collision and no bars or any other obstructions will be fixed on the windows whether from the inside or outside.
The regulations also mandate that drivers undergo and pass an annual assessment of their criminal records. This assessment includes checks for convictions related to child abuse and any incidents of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
School vehicles were directed to operate between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm while the maximum speed permitted shall be 80kph.
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