New training to cut road accidents in Dar es Salaam introduced

Date: 7/11/2012

Truck drivers in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are to undergo extra training in order to try and reverse the trend for road accidents in the city.

35 drivers will initially take the vocational course, after it was found that around 400 accidents occur in the city each month, reports IPP Media.

If it is successful the training will be rolled out on a country wide basis, said Clement Masanja, National Chairperson of the (TTDA) Tanzania Truck Drivers' Association.

In 2011 there were 10,634 road accidents in Dar es Salaam, resulting in 480 deaths and 6,561 serious injuries.

Mr Masanja said that tackling driver behaviour is the best way to bring these numbers down, as many motorists have not undergone proper training.

He called upon those given the opportunity to undertake the training to make the most of it and implement what they have learned when they return to the roads.

Further to this he urged trainees to offer their feedback so that their opinions can be used to inform future policy decisions.

Local employers are also seeing the scheme as a positive step and offering job opportunities to those who complete the training.

Yassin Kabingwa, General Secretary of the TTDA, explained that all those who finish the programme are given a certificate as evidence of their driving credentials.

An intake of drivers is scheduled for December, before the training goes national in the new year.

Another issue that has come to light is the infrastructure, which is lacking for truck drivers, across Tanzania.

There are not any designated parking places on main roads for truck drivers to stop and rest, meaning that many drive for long periods of time, which is unsafe due to tiredness.

A call for better road safety signs has also been made as a simple way to try and reverse the trend for accidents occurring across the country.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News