Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday warned traffic police in the east African nation against demanding bribes from motorists, saying those who will be implicated will face the music.
Launching the Road Safety Week in Moshi on the foot of Kilimanjaro Mountain, Africa’s highest, Suluhu also warned traffic police to refrain from harassing drivers who observed traffic rules and regulations.
“We have reports of some unscrupulous traffic police demanding bribes from motorists who did not observe traffic rules. This malpractice should end forthwith,” she said.
At the same time, she said 76 percent of road accidents in the country were caused by human errors, including use of mobile phones while driving, tiredness and driving while drunk.
“Reckless motorcyclists and mechanical problems are also to blame for the rising number of accidents in the country,”said Suluhu.
“The country continued losing its manpower due to accidents with some innocent people getting lifetime disabilities and increasing the number of widows,” she said.
Suluhu said between January and September this year there have been 42,721 accidents, which claimed the lives of 1,613 people, while 1,597 others were injured.
“Statistics on accidents remain high and unacceptable in a country like Tanzania,” said the official.
She said Tanzania has been mentioned in a report by the World Health Organization as leading among a list of countries with a high rate of road accidents globally. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
