A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Tanzania has called for the review of the Road Traffic Act No 30 of 1973 to address road accidents in the East African country.
Development Diaries gathered that while making the call at a conference that brought together various activists and government officials, the CSOs said that there was a need for the government to review five risk factors which have been the main source of many accidents in the country.
The CSOs noted that the review should address the issue pertaining to the minimum speed of 30 or 50 kilometres per hour in crowded and residential areas.
The Executive Director of Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA), Rose Ruben, said, ‘We call for revising of section 51 (8) of RTA to enforce mandatory maximum speed of 50 KpH in urban and residential areas and 30 KpH speed limit for areas accommodating schools, markets and other places with the interaction of a large number of people’.
She added that the government should give a legal definition of areas that are called ‘residential areas’ under the traffic law.
The CSOs also called on the government to put more emphasis on the implementation of the law that prevents driving while using a mobile phone.
Speaking on the matter, the country’s Minister for Home Affairs, George Simbachawene, said, ‘It is not yet time for law-enforcing organs to relax while people are dying or injured due to road crashes. We still need to work hard to address this problem’.
Source: Daily News
Photo source: Karlis Dambrans
