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SenegalAfter a deadly accident, Dakar prohibits buses from driving at night
Following the collision which killed 40 people and injured 100 on Sunday, Senegal took measures, including a ban on the import of used tires or on the circulation between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. for buses and minibuses.
Sunday’s horrific crash, blamed on a burst tire, has drawn a flood of criticism from authorities for their failure to enforce driving rules and vehicle condition regulations.
AFP
The Senegalese government decided on Tuesday to ban the circulation of buses at night between cities and villages, as well as the import of used tires, after a collision which left 40 dead, according to a new report. These provisions are part of about twenty measures announced at the end of an emergency government meeting organized on Monday in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar, the day after the road accident widely presented as the deadliest in recent years.
The tragedy, attributed to the bursting of a tire, drew a wave of criticism against the authorities, for their inability to enforce the rules of conduct, but also the regulations on the condition of vehicles, despite the multiplication of accidents .
Buses, conveying passengers as well as goods, are one of the main means of transport in Senegal, including at night, and cause many accidents. As well as minibuses, commonly called “seven-seaters”, they will no longer be able to circulate between localities from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Restricted motors, transformation prohibited
Motors for transporting people and goods will be limited to 90 km/h. Passenger transport can only be operated for ten years, goods transport for 15 years. These vehicles can no longer be converted, for example to increase the planned number of passengers or install often overloaded luggage racks on the roof.
The collision in the early hours of Sunday between two buses in Sikilo, 250 km from Dakar, left 40 dead, according to a new official report. “One of the 101 people injured lost his life during his transfer to Dakar”, Monday evening, said the government.
“These measures should not be subject to postponement or compromise.”
The accident has brought to light the evils of the road in Senegal, as in many African countries: obsolescence and dangerous layout of vehicles, reckless driving or even widespread corruption of agents responsible for enforcing laws or passing driving licenses. conduct.
Road accidents officially kill 700 people each year in Senegal, a country of more than 17 million inhabitants. In 2019, the country had road deaths of 24 per 100,000 inhabitants, and sub-Saharan Africa 27 per 100,000, for a rate of six per 100,000 in the European Union and two per 100. 000 in Switzerland, according to the World Bank.
“Uncompromising”
Most of the measures announced on Tuesday will be the subject of an order to be enforceable within 72 hours. They “should not be subject to postponement or compromise. We will be uncompromising with those who contravene the rules enacted to guarantee the physical integrity of our fellow citizens”, declared the Prime Minister, Amadou Bâ.
(AFP)