In case you didn’t know: You can be arrested for driving a dirty car
Imagine you are set to have one of the best weekends of your life. You and a group of friends are set to head out for a mud bogging event where drivers display their skills in driving through a muddy course. Of course, you know this is just another excuse to party and have fun in the wild.
And so, you and your Subaru boys, your off-road driving friends and the groupies head out of town for a weekend of fun. The weekend turns out to be an amazing reason to booze and YOLO.
But then, Sunday evening or Monday morning rolls around and you forgot to get your car washed because – good vibes and InshaAllah. You speed back into town either the night before reporting back to work or you find yourself driving back and going straight back to work.
You are confident that your insurance is up to date, your driving license is in the glove compartment and your car is in tip top condition. Well, except for all the mud splattered everywhere on it. And just as you are about to drive into your work place, a traffic officer stops you. You wonder why.
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Well, it turns out that it is a traffic offense to drive dirty vehicles in Kenya. This was explained by Nairobi’s Milimani Traffic Court officers Honorables Ms Esther Kimilu and Ms Martha Nanzushi.
Speaking to Spice FM’s Eric Latiff during his Justice Thursdays show segment, the officers cited the Traffic Court and Act.
The Court was established to deal with matters traffic ranging from the road, roadsides and anywhere a motorist is involved – including mkokoteni pushers. They receive cases from the Director of Public Prosecutions and all offenses are criminal in nature.
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According to Kimilu, cases that are criminal in nature, according to the Traffic Act, include causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care, causing obstruction, dropping passengers at stops which are not designated as a bus stop and failing to wash your car.
“A dirty car is a traffic offense… and having torn seats is an offense too. Even driving without your license and insurance. For public service, driving without wearing your blue uniform and maroon uniforms for the conductors; and if the sacco has requested to be given a special uniform, failing to wear that special uniform is an offense,” Kimilu said.
This is the part where you remember Nairobi News gave you 17 uncommon ‘emergency numbers’ to add to your phone; and one of these numbers is for a car wash guy.
Avoiding committing this kind of traffic offense would have been as simple as having your car wash guy come and pick up your car, clean it and bring it to wherever you are. This would have prevented you from being arrested on a route you forgot traffic police are often spotted on.
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