Trader Magazine LongoLongo 6th issue: Basic Rules for Driving in BONGO

1. Do not mess with mkokoteni — they are fueled by human strength and your car is more expensive than theirs.
2. After 10 pm traffic lights are merely city decoration — cross city junctions at your own risk and look all ways.
3. When stopped by Traffic Police be sure you have triangle, fire extinguisher & documents or be ready to part with your red ones.
4. Do not attempt to explain yourself to Traffic Police unless you are a lawyer — their first response is “Unanifundisha sheria mimi (you are teaching me the law)?”
5. Daladala drivers think they are the King of the Road so beware — they stop anywhere and cut in front of everyone. A red light can mean go to them and a green light can mean stop.
6. Daladala drivers are known to make their own roads so be attentive as they can suddenly drive out of the bush or onto the sidewalk.
7. Do not trust the indicator of the car in front of you – you never know how long it’s been switched on for.
8. Indicator signals are just clues to your next move on the road so never use them around daladala drivers.
9. Don’t ever let a pedestrian cross if you are in a hurry — they are more scared of getting pneumonia from the rain than they are of getting hit by your car. They run when it’s just drizzling rain but cross the street in front of your vehicle like they’ve just been sentenced to death.
10. It is a tradition to honk at cars that do not move the instant the light changes.
11. Be on the look out for BONGO speed bumps; they are more like car breakers! They are all different in size and most often aren’t painted so they blend right in with the soil or tarmac.
12. Side mirrors are there so that you can set your hair straight. When overtaking or coming out of a parking space looking behind to make sure you are not inconveniencing anyone is a waste of time.
13. Dual lane highways are used as per the preference of drivers. The right lane [fast] is usually for trucks, breakdowns and anything that is doing less than 35 km/h.
14. Life expectancy in Tanzania is less due to the amount of diesel fuel smoke we ingest. It is expected that all vehicles running on diesel should expel black toxic fumes and we think that pollution doesn’t affect us.
15. Give another driver the right of way? What does that mean?
16. Footpaths are for cars to drive on and roads are for people to walk on.