Government Launches Crackdown on Low-Quality Life Savers, Vehicle Chevrons

 

chevrons and portable warning triangles 

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has issued a warning to vehicle owners not to purchase chevrons and portable warning triangles without proper standard quality marks. KEBS launched a crackdown on low-quality life saver triangles and vehicle Chevrons.  In a notice published on Tuesday, July 2, KEBS warned that substandard life savers and chevrons were flooding the market and posing a risk to road users.  According to the standards control body, low-quality life savers and chevrons have compromised reflective capacity, which reduces their ability to provide proper safety especially during the night and other environments of limited visibility.  "It has come to our notice that some brands of motor vehicle chevrons and portable warning triangles currently being sold in the Kenyan market do not meet the requirements of their respective Kenya Standards KS 924:2012 and KS 815:2018 in the Co-efficient of Retroreflection parameter. The implication of this non-compliance is that the retroreflective property of such products is low, thereby diminishing their visibility, especially at night and increasing the risk of road accidents," said KEBS managing director. The warning was also directed to manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers of the signages, who were cautioned that their merchandise would be destroyed at their own cost if found not to be in compliance. All motor vehicle chevrons and portable warning triangles that shall be found not to comply with the requirements of the relevant Standards in the Coefficient of Retroreflection parameter shall be seized by the Bureau and be destroyed at the importers', manufacturers', and/or dealers' expense, in addition to the Bureau undertaking any other administrative and judicial remedies that the Bureau may deem fit," the notice warned. Function of chevrons and life-saver triangles Chevrons, with their distinctive red, yellow, and white hues, are square metallic plates mounted on the rear of commercial vehicles, including vans, pickups, lorries, and buses. They enhance visibility by reflecting light, allowing drivers from behind to discern the vehicle ahead and gauge its dimensions. Life-saver triangles are strategically positioned at accident sites or near stalled vehicles to alert fellow road users of potential hazards on the road ahead. 

by  Muyela Roberto