A sixteen-year-old driving illegally was taken to hospital after the vehicle rolled over in the early hours of November 28.
Athing’a location Assistant Chief Christine Kananu said the crash happened along Michimikuru-Muriri road near Nguthiru stadium, Meru county.
Kananu said a 16-year-old boy was driving when he lost control of the vehicle and rolled over after hitting a ditch. She said speed and lack of driving skills may have affected the rollover.
An eyewitness, David Mutabari, said that the teenagers were watching television in the car prior to the accident.
The owner of the car claimed he was driving it when the brakes failed and he plunged into a trench.
“There were two other teenagers in the car who did not sustain injuries and were taken to the hospital,” he said.
According to Kananu, the car passed her early in the morning at St. Angela’s on its way to Nguthiru, and it was raining heavily at the time.
“When I arrived in Muriri, I was told that the car had crashed. Teenagers are not permitted to drive under any circumstances. According to the owner, he gave the teenager permission to fetch water with the car, but the teenagers drove to another location because they were not mature enough to make their own decisions “Kananu stated
She claimed that the car could have killed a large number of pedestrians before plunging into the trench.
She urged drivers to take care of their vehicles and not let teenagers drive them.
“Teenagers have not taken a driving course and are unaware of traffic rules and regulations,” Kananu said.
Mutabari said that parents should express their affection for their children in a variety of ways other than allowing them to drive.
“Teenagers are notorious for being unruly, and allowing them to drive devastates their behavior. Accidents on the road have taken the lives of numerous persons and animals.
He said that about 8 cars were involved in an accident along the road and that at least 15 people were killed.
“The road from Michimikuru to Muriri has less than five speed bumps, and I urge the government to install more. The majority of the residents have had their animals hit by cars, and I urge the government to expedite the process of erecting speed bumps,” said Mutabari.
Mutabari threatened that residents would block the road should the government fail to erect speed bumps.
He said it didn’t take more than a week before a car was involved in an accident or a resident was killed on the road.
The car was towed to Muthara police station.
