THE Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) has commended the traffic police for taking initiatives with a number of measures aimed at ending the problem of avoidable road accidents.
It further noted that the measures being taken will reduce or end the existence of people with disabilities and deaths, which contribute to the increase of vulnerable women and children and abject poverty in the society.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the TAMWA Executive Director, Ms Edda Sanga, the commendation follows recent decision by the police force to take disciplinary action against some of its officers for misconduct.
“The decision taken to remove the Tabora Regional Transport Officer, Shida Muchumu, and the Nzega District Transport Officer, Thomas Sengecha and other six (6) traffic police officers, who were not accountable in the recent accident that killed 19 people at Nsalala village in Shinyanga, should be used as an early warning to negligent police officers and other irresponsible government officials to ensure the safety of Tanzanian citizens” noted the statement.
According to the Acting Head of Traffic Unit, SACP Fortunatus Muslim, the action was taken after police investigations established that a passenger mini-bus (Noah) was allowed to be on the road even if it was overloaded.
Although the capacity of the Noah is to carry 8 passengers, it was carrying 21 passengers by the time of the accident. According to the police, the cause of the accident was reckless overtaking by the Noah driver, which led to a head-on-collision with a truck coming from the opposite direction. Among those killed were 10 women, 6 men and three girls.
The statement noted further that due to the big number of deaths and injuries from road accidents that were occurring at an alarming rate in the country, TAMWA, as one of the major road safety stakeholders called for urgent amendment of the law, the especially road traffic law of 1973, to enable stronger road safety laws and regulations to address the road safety crisis in Tanzania.
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