Trader Magazine 4th issue: Road Safety Week 2007

The theme at this year's (2007) Road Safety Week was "Road Accidents are avoidable, Take Care."

The road safety week launch at Mnazi Moja grounds in Dar es Salaam had a lot of awareness to offer to daily commuters. We were welcomed with a brief presentation by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr. Mohamed Mpinga who is also the Head of Traffic Police for Dar es Salaam, followed by a video presentation explaining how to keep safe during our daily commute.

It pointed out obvious and not so obvious safety features, such as the importance of wearing seatbelts and safely securing items while transporting them and the usage of child safety seats. There was also an emphasis on the safety and rights of children and student commuters who are often denied a spot on the daladala buses.

The Tanzanian Police Force, through its Department of Road Safety, is taking an active role in preventing road accidents and one of their major initiatives involves the education of citizens. The following is a list of dangerous offences that drivers & commuters should be aware of in order to reduce road traffic accidents.

DANGEROUS OFFENCES:
1. Driving while the vehicle is unsuitable for road.
2. Driving while under the influence of alcohol (some go so far as to pour alcohol into a water bottle and drive around drinking).
3. Driving fast beyond the speed limit. For passenger vehicle the speed limit is 80 km per hour, and 50km per hour in residential areas.
4. Overtaking the car ahead where it is not permissible. For instance:
• places where there are signs that prohibit,
• at an intersection,
• on a sharp turn,
• at a zebra crossing,
• where school students cross the road,
• in a traffic jam especially when there is a long queue ahead of you,
• on a slope where visibility for on coming traffic is limited.
5. Exceeding the number of passengers allowed in the vehicle.
6. Carrying weight in excess of the vehicle capacity.
7. Carrying products that are prohibited to be carried with passengers. Such as:
• petroleum products like fuel and kerosene,
• corrugated iron sheets,
• nails,
• other products that may cause the vehicle to catch fire.

Drivers and conductors:
8. Driving passenger vehicles after 10:00 pm.
9. Overcharging passengers.
10. Failing to provide tickets to passengers.

reference: Tanzania Police - Safety for Citizens

When you see drivers who are doing any of the above or are breaking any other Road Safety Law please contact the Head of Road Safety in your region at the following numbers:

CO TRAFFIC 0754 304514
SO TRAFFIC 0787 258425
ARUSHA 0784 437165
DAR ES SALAAM 0754 360046
KINONDONI 0755 624243
TEMEKE 0754 262636
ILALA 0784 304158
DODOMA 0754 695234
IRINGA 0754 316046
KAGERA 0784 292855
KIGOMA 0784 384848
PWANI 0784 871173
LINDI 0754 293631
MOROGORO 0713 224848
MARA 0754 984107
MBEYA 0754 269342
MANYARA 0754 373402
MTWARA 0754 293348
MWANZA 0784 344486
RUVUMA 0754 044635
RUKWA 0784 539215
0754 453328
SHINYANGA 0754 453328
0784 509182
SINGIDA 0754 491148
TABORA 0787 872307
0754 593993
TANGA 0754 294665
KILIMANJARO 0754 560082

please note: phone numbers may be outdated since this article was published.