By Samon Ateka
….Luca Pascotto says the private sector has power to demand safer roads now
For the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global vision for safe mobility means little without local action.
That was the message from Luca Pascotto, Head of Road Safety and Global Advocacy at the FIA, when he took to the stage at the AA Kenya Road Safety Excellence Awards at Nairobi Serena.
Presenting his keynote titled Leading the Change: The Corporate Drive for Road Safety, Pascotto paid tribute to FIA Member Clubs like AA Kenya, calling them “the vital engines driving the Safe System approach on the ground.”
“We rely on the dedication of our FIA Member Clubs — like AA Kenya — to translate global strategies into grassroots impact,” he told distinguished guests, industry leaders and road safety advocates. “From advocating for safe school zones to training thousands of public service vehicle drivers, together we form a united front.”
Pascotto said Kenya faces a sobering reality. In recent years, reported road traffic fatalities and injuries have risen sharply, with vulnerable road users — pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists — bearing the brunt.
What makes it more tragic, he said, is who is dying.
“Nearly 69 per cent of those killed on the roads are of working age,” he said. “This is not just a public health emergency; it is an economic drain that costs national economies between 1 and 3 per cent of their GDP every single year.”
Historically, he argued, the burden has been placed on governments and individual drivers. That must change.
“A Safe System requires shared responsibility. This brings us to a massive, untapped catalyst for change: the private sector,” Pascotto, who is visiting the country for the first time, said.
Noting that road traffic crashes are the most common cause of work-related accidental deaths globally, he said as Kenya’s economy expands and motorization increases, corporations hold unique power.
“You manage massive fleets, oversee complex supply chains, and set procurement standards. You do not have to wait for new legislation to mandate safer vehicles, better driver conditions, or stricter safety protocols. You have the operational agility and the buying power to demand it today.”
His address set the tone for a night that celebrated corporate champions proving that safe mobility and successful business go hand-in-hand.