Kenya’s Silent Road Tragedy — The ugly truth behind warning drunk drivers about alcoblow checks

By Jaymo Wa Thika

On any given weekend night, it’s not uncommon to see WhatsApp alerts, Facebook posts or even blinking headlights from oncoming drivers warning motorists of an impending alcoblow checkpoint. For some, it’s a gesture of goodwill. For others, it’s a dangerous trend that could be costing lives on Kenyan roads.

The question is simple, but the implications are complex: Is it right to warn drunk drivers about alcoblow checks?

Alcoblow checkpoints are a standard tool used by law enforcement to detect and deter drunk driving. These random breathalyser stops aim to reduce accidents caused by intoxicated motorists. Yet increasingly, well-meaning individuals are using social media or direct signals to alert drivers on how to avoid them.

But while such actions may appear to be acts of kindness, experts warn they may be doing more harm than good. Every time someone helps a drunk driver dodge a checkpoint, they are enabling a potential tragedy. That person might go on to cause an accident that injures or kills innocent people.

Beyond public safety, legal experts argue that these warnings interfere with the work of police officers, essentially amounting to obstruction of justice. These checkpoints are legal, and they exist to protect the public. If someone actively warns others in a way that helps them escape arrest, that could amount to aiding lawbreaking and in some jurisdictions, it could be a criminal offense.

In Kenya, drunk driving is one of the leading causes of fatal accidents, especially among young adults. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has repeatedly emphasised the importance of alcoblow as a deterrent. Alerting drivers only weakens its effectiveness.

Still, not everyone sees the issue in black and white. Some motorists argue that alcoblow checks are sometimes more about bribe collection than road safety. There have been reports especially on Kenyan highways of officers allegedly using alcoblow stations to solicit bribes or harass sober drivers.

Sometimes these breathalysers don’t even work and a motorist is forced to pay something to be let go. Those who warn are just trying to help each other avoid trouble. There are those who feel that warning fellow drivers is a way of protecting them from harsh legal consequences, especially when alcohol levels are borderline or when the driver isn’t visibly impaired.

But experts warn against such reasoning because one can’t weigh potential embarrassment or fines against the risk of killing someone. A moment of impaired judgment at the wheel can change lives forever. Public safety must come first.

While the public may distrust some aspects of law enforcement, the danger of drunk driving remains clear and present. Warning motorists may seem like a small gesture, but its ripple effect could be catastrophic. There’s a more painful, personal side to the story, one that many Kenyans are familiar with, even if few openly acknowledge. 

The same people we help escape accountability often end up as the reason we open WhatsApp groups asking for help with funeral or hospital bills, burdens that could have been avoided.

Let’s be honest: it’s not just costly. It’s heartbreaking to watch innocent lives suffer because of the recklessness of one drunk driver and the thoughtlessness of another person who helped them avoid a checkpoint. That same driver could, in the very next minute, crash into you, your car or someone you love.

The death and pain they cause won’t just be theirs to carry, it will haunt you too. That massive hospital bill. That funeral fund. It could all have been prevented if the driver had been caught and held accountable.

How would you feel if your warning message was the reason someone close to you died at the hands of a drunk driver? It may feel like you are being a good buddy by sending an alert, but if that driver ends up killing or permanently injuring you or your loved ones, you will realise just how dangerous and foolish that decision was.

The real solution, many argue, lies in long-term change: improving public transport, ensuring transparency in law enforcement, and promoting a culture of personal responsibility on the road.

Until then, the next time you are tempted to flash your headlights or forward that WhatsApp location, ask yourself: Are you saving someone from inconvenience or helping them escape accountability?