The Long Distance Drivers and Conductors’ Association (LoDCA) has slammed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) over its failed road safety strategy, citing rising crashes and fatalities as evidence of ineffective enforcement.
In a statement dated 06 January 2026, the Long-Distance Drivers and Conductors’ Association (LoDCA) confirms that public expectation for 2026 was that road safety enforcement would focus on prevention, accountability, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Instead, the current approach has exposed significant gaps between policy, enforcement, and real safety outcomes.
“Instead, the country continues to experience rising road crashes and fatalities, exposing serious gaps between policy, enforcement, and real safety outcomes,” the body said.
LoDCA Calls for Urgent Reforms
LoDCA also expressed concern over the continued silence of the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Transport, despite their mandate to protect the rights and welfare of transport workers.
According to the statement, this institutional indifference has normalised unsafe practices and shifted the blame onto drivers rather than addressing systemic failures.
“Road safety cannot be achieved through intimidation, extortion, or public relations exercises.”
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The association called on NTSA and the ministries to immediately:
- End ineffective and exploitative cosmetic joint operations
- Implement technology-driven enforcement strategies
- Enforce labour laws within the transport sector
- Engage meaningfully with stakeholders on road safety initiatives
LoDCA warned that without decisive reform and genuine collaboration, the current enforcement model will continue to compromise public safety.
Cosmetic Operations and Labour Abuses Threaten Road Safety
NTSA’s joint operations, designed to improve road safety, have reportedly “largely degenerated into extortion points and centres of victimisation for drivers.”
Heavy reliance on human enforcement has created opportunities for corruption, selective law enforcement, intimidation, and harassment.
“Rather than preventing crashes, these operations have worsened compliance and eroded trust.”
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Repeated stakeholder warnings have gone unheeded, leaving drivers and other road users exposed to preventable danger. Critics note that NTSA’s focus on cosmetic enforcement overlooks systemic reforms needed to address the root causes of accidents.
Additionally, some transport companies continue to violate labour laws, imposing excessive working hours, unsafe conditions, and exploitative operational demands. These practices endanger drivers, conductors, and the public.
“Abuse of labour laws and unsafe operational demands continue to put drivers and road users at risk.”
The association urges adoption of technology-led enforcement, including road surveillance cameras, to reduce dependence on human enforcement, improve compliance, and curb corruption.
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