THE government yesterday announced hard-hitting measures, including
introduction of a points’ penalty system and straight arraignment of
reckless drivers, a fresh move aimed at checking the increasing wave of
road accidents.
The Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Mr
Hamad Yusuf Masauni, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday
that the six-month project aims to reduce road accidents by 10 per
cent.
A penalty point is essentially a formal
reprimand endorsed on the driving licence record that shows that a
motorist is guilty of a specific driving offence.
The point system falls under the traffic road Act chapter 168, section 25A and 114 (h) of 2002.
According to the new system, payment of fines will depend on the offence committed.
For example, if the driver fails to use a
safety belt, they will be penalised by one point, reckless driving
three points and speeding will be five points.
If the points reach 15, the violators’ licences will be suspended for six months.
“A driver who will cause accident by
reckless driving largely drunkard drivers will be remanded for 24 hours
before being taken to court,” said the deputy minister, who doubles as
Chairman of the National Roads Safety Council.
Mr Masauni explained that points would
be deducted from drivers who will be found to be driving recklessly,
pointing out that drivers will be given 15 points each, deduction to
zero point of which would mean revocation of licence.
“The new measures are aimed at
controlling reckless driving, including speeding. We’re determined to
curb road accidents this time around,” he observed.
Mr Masauni said the project would go
hand in hand with raising awareness on the use of roads to special
groups, including children, persons with physical disabilities, the
elderly and cyclists, adding that the project will facilitate
identification accident-prone road stretches and areas.
“Traffic officers who will perform
outstandingly under the new project will also be identified and rewarded
to motivate them,” he told reporters.
The deputy minister further said that
buses whose passengers will be found not to have fastened seat will be
impounded, noting that drivers should ensure that all passengers have
fastened their seat belts before departure.
Giving statistics, he said the number of
road accidents had increased from 23,578 road accidents in 2012 to
23,842 road accidents in 2013, claiming the lives of 3,969 people in
2012 and an increase of 1,043 deaths in 2013.
Mr Masauni said deaths resulting from
road accidents had decreased between 2013 and 2014 after introduction of
stern measures against reckkless drivers, saying deaths from road
accidents decreased from 3,969 in 2013 to 3,760 in 2014.
Last month, the Traffic Police
Department and the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority
(SUMATRA) suspended 15 buses owned by four companies from operating
within the country for flouting traffic rules.
The decision was reached following the
recent wave of road acci- dents that claimed hundreds of lives a n d
left many others maimed.
The government had also declared that
plans were underway to review the Traffic Act to oversee stricter action
against speeding, non-seatbelt use, child restraint belts and helmets,
among other traffic rules and regulations.
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