World Remembrance Day of Road Crash Victims!

Yesterday it was World Remembrance Day of Road Crash Victims which was marked on 15th November 2009 at Mnazi mmoja Grounds, Dar es salaam. According to a statement issued by SUMATRA Consumer Consultative Council,The World Remembrance Day of Road Crash Victims find its origin in the UN resolution A/60/5(2005) of the 26th October 2005, which adopted the World Day "as the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families" and called for its recognition by Member States and the International Community.

The United Nations through the above mentioned resolution decalred that the 3rd Sunday of each November would be marked as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and requested member countries and international community to mark it in their respective countries. This year, 2009, will be the first time that a public event is held to mark the day in Tanzania.

As people were marking the day at Mnazi Mmoja Grounds, the picture below shows the victim of a road crash which occured in Dar es salaam At the very moment people were demonstrating along the streets of Dar es salaam to mark the day.

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This accident occured yesterday, the victim was driving a motorcycle which was knocked by a fast moving car along Morogoro Road.The leg has been badly injured below the knee. The photo was taken when the victim was being attended at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute(MOI).

But, as we mark this day are we really taking steps to curb the increasing number of motor traffic accidents in the country?

Driving Upcountry-5 (Through Ben Mkapa Bridge)

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The bridge is about 7kms long! Indeed a long drive.
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On top of the bridge we saw the bridge was sort of swinging when a heavy vehicle passed over the bridge. This forced us to lear more and we ended up under the bridge. We saw these rubbers which acts as shock absorbers!You can see these between the two concrete blocks, up and down.

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My colleagues exploring under the bridge!

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The bridge from the sides

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Wow! white sands under the bridge. We felt like going down and play with the sand, but people sacred that if we do that we'll end up being delicious meal for the alligators living in that river!!

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The bridge named after the ex-president, benjamin Mkapa Bridge.

My experiences while driving upcountry have become and more adventurous,I have leanrt alot of staff as far as these trips are concerned! These are the pictures of the Benjamin Mkapa Bridge along River Rufiji. A river known to have tormented people from the southern region of this country whereas during rain season people spent weeks to cross the river. So the construction of this bridge was a revolution for people living in those regions.

My conversation with the people living around the area, that is Ikwiriri they told me that, "The constructin of the bridge was full of surprises, for example when the Italians started the constructions there was alot of ''Supernatural things" happening to the extent that the Italians called all the famous oldmen in the village and they decided to slaughter a bull for a sacrifice so that they could be 'allowed by the ancestors' to proceed with the construction". i talked to more than 5 people and they narrated the same story. But they say the sacrifices were successful and the consruction continued. This strange world!!!!! Well I also learnt that there no accidents occured over the bridge. That is good news.

Spotlight!

"Traffic jams are unnecessary in most parts of the world and it is bad organization that causes them most of the time".

Comments from Blogger, Cuban In London

Am back!

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I have been away for quite sometime but i have more and more news to share with you. To start with, i would like to share with you the photos of the accident i witnessed along Dar es salaam-Morogoro Road (at Mikese). This lorry had banana cargo but it ended like this.

Hili La Matuta Kimara Limewakera Wengi!

Nimekutana na hii barua ya msomaji katika gazeti la Mwananchi inayogusia uwekaji wa matuta katika barabara mbalimbali za jiji la Dar es salaam.

"Mimi kama mmoja wa waathirika wa mkasa wa kukwama katika Barabara ya Morogoro,kutokana na ujenzi wa matuta Kimara, Dar es salaam.

Niikerwa na mfumo wa maofisa wanaohusika, wakiwemo polisi na wakala wa Barabara Tanzania(Tanroads), kuruhusu ujenzi huo kufanyika wakati ambao wazungu wanauita 'pick-hour' yaani ule ambao unakuwa na msongamano mkubwa wa magari na kuacha siku kama za jumapili na kuiga nchi zilizoendelea kama Uingereza,ambazo hufanya ujenzi kama huo usiku wa manane wakati hakuna magari mengi.

Hii inaonyesha jinsi tusivyojali wengine, mkandarasi husika alijali fedha na kuwaweka vibarua kufanya kazi hiyo mchana bila kufikiria usumbufu aliousababisha. Hii ni mara ya pili kufanyika hivyo na usumbufu huwa wa kiasi hicho lakini wahusika wanafumbia macho".

Barua imeandikwa katika gazeti la Mwananchi na mbogojj@yahoo.co.uk

Mtazamo wangu: Nikiwa mmoja wa waathirika wa usumbufu uliotokea siku hiyo, namuunga mkono mwandishi wa barua hii, kwakweli Tanroads walistahili kutuomba radhi kwa usumbufu wa siku ile. Tulikaa masaa manne barabarani mpaka askari wa usalama barabarani walipoingilia kati na kusimamisha ujenzi huo.

Marufuku Askari Kuwapoka Madereva Leseni

Polisi mkoani Arusha imepiga marufuku tabia ya baadhi ya askari wa kikosi cha Usalama Barabarani, kuwapokonya funguo na kadi za magari, madereva wanaokiuka sheria za usalama barabarani.

Msimamo huo ulitolewa hivi karibuni na Kamanda wa Polisi wa Mkoa wa Arusha, Matei Basilio, alipokuwa akizungumza katika sherehe za kufunga Wiki ya Nenda Kwa Usalama.

Alisema kumekuwepo na malalamiko juu ya baadhi ya askari wa kikosi hicho kuwapokonya madereva funguo na vitu vingine kutoka kwenye magari, jambo ambalo ni kosa.

"...Kama dereva amefanya makosa afikishwe polisi au alipe faini na kama itakuwa lazima basi afikishwe katika ngazi za juu badala ya kumpokonya leseni au kitu kingine", alisema Basilio.

Source: Mwananchi

Mtazamo wangu: Nashukuru Kamanda Basilio ameliongelea hili kwa sababu inakera sana kuona askari wa usalama barabarani anamnyang'anya dereva wa daladala ufunguo huku akiwa amebeba abiria. Kwanini asimwambie dereva akashushe abiria halafu aipeleke gari kituo husika? Hii inaonyesha ni jinsi gani watanzania tusivyojaliana. Tamko la Kamanda Basilio linastahili pongezi.

Spotlight: Unnecessary Traffic Jams!

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From Ubungo to Kibaha, this area is becoming "traffic-jam-prone-areas", but if you ask me, these jams are due to negligence and lack of creativity in problem solving, for example Tanroads was supposed to have a heavey duty 'winch' to remove lorries which breakdown along the road as seen on the photo, so that other users could continue using the road without a hitch. The lorry on the photo, remained in the area for the whole day, this caused jams unnecessarily.

I stand to be corrected, but much as i know, this is a highway how come bumps are everywhere in a highway? If you ask, they tell you bumps are fixed to reduce accidents! Sure? How come there are alot of bumps from Kimara Stop over to Mbezi Mwisho, yet people are knocked down by cars almost everyday.

I think Tanroads Research Unit, if at all they have, should do its homework effectively to come with good solutions rather than just fixing bumps which are now a pain on the neck.

Driving Upcountry 4: Coast region!

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From Ubungo to Kibaha, this area is becoming "traffic-jam-prone-areas", but if you ask me, these jams are due to negligence and lack of creativity in problem solving, for example Tanroads was supposed to have a heavey duty 'winch' to remove lorries which breakdown along the road as seen on the photo, so that other users could continue using the road without a hitch. The lorry on the photo, remained in the area for the whole day, this caused jams unnecessarily.

I stand to be corrected, but much as i know, this is a highway how come bumps are everywhere in a highway? If you ask, they tell you bumps are fixed to reduce accidents! Sure? How come there are alot of bumps from Kimara Stop over to Mbezi Mwisho, yet people are knocked down by cars almost everyday.

I think Tanroads Research Unit, if at all they have, should do its homework effectively to come with good solutions rather than just fixing bumps which are now a pain on the neck.

Traffic Police on the Highways and Their Questionable Perfomance!

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On Chalinze-Segera Road
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On Morogoro-Iringa Road

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On Iringa-Mafinga Road

May be you have seen them on various highways as shown above. They stop cars and ask weird questions, which indicates motives for bribery.

They hide under the trees or behind other stopped cars and when you approach they come out of hiding and order you to stop suddenly without even considering the speed of the car.

They stand in the middle of the road which could cause accident for them to be knocked down.

Have you witnessed any of these or more? Please share with us your experience with traffic police on highwhays.

Traffic Police halt Bumps Erection at Kimara!(Tanroads Should Apologize!).

Traffic police have halted road bumbs construction at Mbezi and Kimara Temboni in Dar es salaam, after the exercise had caused untold inconvinience to road users on Monday.

Dar es salaam Regional Traffic Commander, Vitus Nikata, said yesterday that they have advised Tanroads to stop construction of the bumps, until the police and Tanroads agree on appropriate day and time to carry out the exercise, with minimum disturbance to road users.

Mbezi and kimara Temboni residents had to spend up to five hours on the road on Monday,due to unprecedented traffic jam resulting from construction of the bumps.

Tanroads officials could not be reached yesterday for comment, but erection of the bumps was Tanroads response to demands of residents ofd the area, follwing frequent accidents by speeding cars.

Source: The daily News.

YeS!: Being the victim of what happened on that day, I think Tanroads need to be serious! We arrived at Ubungo Traaffic Lights at around 8pm, I spent more than 4 hours on the road to arrive at Kimara-Temboni at exactly 12.00pm!

I cant imagine why Tanroads did this to us? They know for sure monday is the busiest day, why did they do what they were doingon that material day? they could that on Saturday or Sunday? Or why didnt they do that during the night? For sure Tanroads flopped on this.

They show us that their 'research Unit' (if at all they have) does not perform its task efficiently because they could at least know when and at what time time to do that without havoc to road users.

Tanroads should apologize to us, what they did is not acceptable in any civilized world!

Hali Hii Mpaka Lini! It is Scary!-6

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The victim of road traffic accident found at the "Emergencies and Accidents" room of the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute(MOI). The cause? reckless driving!

Street Literature!

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The message from this lorry says "Kua Uyaone" this is a message or rather a saying when parents tell their kids or from the older generation to the younger generation that "Grow up and see more" .

Wanafunzi Walala Barabrani Baada ya Mwenzao Kugongwa!

Habari nilizozipata hivi punde zinasema kwamba, leo jioni majira ya saa kumi jioni mwanafunzi mmoja wa shule ya sekondari aligongwa na gari maeeo ya Mbezi kwa musuguri. Mashuhuda wanasema aligongwa na gari aina ya Toyota Landcruiser ambalo lilikuwa katika mwendo wa kasi. Inasemekana baada ya ajali hiyo, dereva wa gari hilo hakusimama alitokomea.

Kufuatia tukio hilo wanafunzi wanaosoma na mwanafunzi huyo,waliamua kulala katikati ya barabara jambo ambalo lilisababisha foleni kutoka Mbezi kwa Musuguri hadi ubungo na kupelekea askari kuelekea eneo hilo na kufyatua mabomu ya kutoa machozi.

Driving Upcountry 3: Dodoma Region!

Recently me and my colleagues drove to Dodoma Region, It was a trip full of adventures, and my camera was ready for action. The following are some of the shots i would like to share with you!

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It is Sunset!
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This one was taken at 'pandambili'

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Look!Need say anymore?

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A convoy of South African tourists with their '4-wheel-drive-monsters'

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Of course you can't miss wrong-packed lorries like these two. Of late, these lorries have been a major cause of accidents in our highways. Look, there are no clear signs to show that the lorries are not on the move.in a situation like this, we will see more and more accidents. something should done, really!

Hali Hii Mpaka Lini! It is Scary!-5

Accident victim with a badly bruised arm as seen at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute(MOI). According to him,the cause of the accident was overspeeding.

Pilot's Second Crash?

Rescue team on the crashed plane

"Thank heavens we were saved. It was a miracle that no one was killed."This was the reaction of traumatised and relieved Merebank residents after a SA Airlink twin-engine aircraft crash-landed in their densely-populated suburb adjoining Durban International Airport.It smashed into vacant land, slid across the narrow Sambalpur Road and crashed through the concrete fence into the sports field at Merebank Secondary School, injuring the three crew and a municipal worker in the crashing aircraft's path. All were taken to St Augustine's Hospital.The pilot, Captain Alistair Freeman, who was trapped in the plane for some three hours before being stablisied and freed, sustained multiple injuries, including facial fractures, broken ribs and ankle and a suspected punctured lung. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition and on a ventilator.
Freeman, who at one stage was talking to paramedics, but was then put on a ventilator while still trapped in the plane, was airlifted to hospital by helicopter.The first officer, Sonja Bierman, also sustained multiple injuries, the airline said last night. She has broken both ankles and a hand and has sustained fractures in the pelvic area and chest.Flight attendant, Rodelle Oosthuizen, sustained facial injuries and a fractured spine.Street cleaner Abraham Mthethwa suffered broken legs after being struck and the plane's wing landed on him.A nursing sister at St Augustine's hospital this morning said all the patients were in a stable condition, but Mthethwa was still in a lot of pain. "He will be going to theatre today," she said.

It appears to be second time unlucky for Captain Alistair Freeman, who was critically injured aboard SA Airlink J41 when it ditched into a Merebank school field in Durban yesterday.While this could not be officially confirmed, South African pilots' blogs were last night referring to this as Freeman's second crash in the past few years.

Source: www. int.iol.co.za

SPORTLIGHT!-1

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"Watembea kwa miguu, waendesha baiskeli, magari, pikipiki, wasukuma mikokoteni wote tuna haki ya kutumia barabara. Ni muhimu kujali haki ya mwenzako, ili ujiweke katika mazingira ya usalama zaidi".

Source: Jeshi la Polisi

Hali Hii Mpaka Lini! It is Scary!-4

This child(above)aged 3, and her father below, they were knocked by a motorcycle being driven by a reckless driver. The father suffered head injury and the child had thigh bone(femur) broken.Both were discharged from Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute(MOI) after treatment.

Passanger Bus On Fire!

Above and below, the bus under fire

Passangers of this bus were lucky, they were all saved and nobody was hurt except the driver when this bus caught fire.

Source: http://haki-hakingowi.blogspot.com

Over Speeding!

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Onlookers stand by the car which swayed out of the road due to overspeeding! It was at Magomeni opposite "Kwa Macheni" Bar.

Eid Mubarak! Remember, Drive safely!

What? i was driving behind this car, I could not see beyond it. This for sure could cause an accident.
TThis is how this car started smoking, and smoking smoking until it formed a cloud of smoke! But the driver did not care at all.

This happened today at around 5.15pm, morogoro road at kimara mwisho. I was shocked to see this car passing thru traffic policeman. This for sure could cause accident anytime!

Street Literature!

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This is the message I saw a day ago on this tricycle saying "Bajeti ya Maskini, Tajiri Haiwezi" simply means "Poor man's Budget, The Rich cannot Stand It".

ANY COMMENTS FROM YOU?

Driving Upcountry 2: Accidents!

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This accident happened along udzungwa mountain ranges in Morogoro. According to the watchman found in the area, one person died in the accident

Accident-Dar Roads!

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Terrible,a motorcycle rammed into the side of this car!

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This accident occured yesterday along Morogoro road at Ubungo Plaza. The motorcycle driver had all legs broken and rushed to Muhimbili National hospital.

Driving Upcountry, Marvelous!

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Driving thru Mafinga District today!

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wow! what a beautiful scenery! Driving thru Sao hill forest.
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As usual, you can't miss the accidents! here is one, overturned lorry, no one is dead just minor injuries for the driver

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Look! no end for this road?

I enjoy driving upcountry, and today me and my colleagues drove to Mufindi, these are some of the beautiful scenes i thought it could be better to share with my readers. Of course, our photos and cameras were ready in case we see any accident. From Dar es salam to Morogoro we saw 3 accidents unfortunately we couldnt get any shots because the driver was on a high gear! But we got this one in Mafinga!Too bad!

SPOTLIGHT!

According to the WHO, "Injuries suffered in traffic accidents are the 9th leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of death of young people. The 2008 report found that over one million die and another 20 million are injured in vehicular accidents every year. Modern technology has served to make driving both safer and more dangerous, at once. Automobiles are outfitted with improved lighting and visibility, air bags and the like to better protect passengers. At the same time, the increased use of cell phones while driving — even hands-off devices — has proven to seriously increase the likelihood of accidents".

Source: www.answers.com

A Lorry Rammed Into a House Killing One!

What remains of the house are just rubbles when this lorry with registration number T885 ASW rammed into a house at night along Morogoro road near kimara mahakamani, killing one person who was in the house at that night. This is the second time for the lorries being packed along the road, to damage the houses along the road. What surprises me is the fact that this lorry's plate number was sort of hidden as you can see in the photo above!

No Lights along Sam Nujoma Road!

Sam Nujoma Road : the picture was taken yesterday

Sam Nujoma Road few days after it official opening

The picture below shows the lights at Sam Nujoma Road, very shiny and one could easiliy see when driving along that road. But the picture at the top gives a different story, all the lights are not functioning few months after official opening of the road. It is a mockery isnt it? That darkeness can easily cause accidents.

Badly damaged!

This car with registration No. T 862 ASY was badly damaged after being involved ina an accident. This happened at Kimara resort along Morogoro Road.

Street Literature!

The message from this passenger bus famously known as 'daladala' with registration number T 198 AUM says, "MAN IS WORK!". The operators of this bus failed to explain what does that mean? May be the owner could have something to explain. Yet, my readers could come with something or some explanation on this.

Extrawide Load:A Pain in the Neck For Other Road Users!

The pictures above show a convoy of loriies with extrawide load. This was along Morogoro Road in Dar es salaam. The other road users had to bear the pain of the longest que caused by this. I think this convoy could pass during the night to inconviniences for other road users. On that material day we had to spend more than 2 hours on the jam!