Editorial

EDITORIAL

Time to restore order and safety on Arusha roads

The decision by Arusha traffic police recently to revoke the driving licences of two truck drivers linked to a viral video showing dangerous driving along the Arusha-Nairobi Road is a welcome and necessary move. According to the police, the drivers were traced, arrested and they later admitted that the stunts were meant to attract attention on social media. That swift response by the traffic police deserves commendation because it sends a clear message that public roads are not stages for reckless entertainment.

Arusha Regional Traffic Police Commander, ACP Zauda Mohamed, was right to remind motorists that road safety is not optional. Her warning should not apply only to truck drivers. It must extend to every road user whose behaviour puts innocent lives at risk.

The bigger concern is that recklessness has become too common on our roads. Dala dala drivers, boda boda riders and bajaj operators continue to behave as if traffic laws are suggestions rather than rules. Many ignore traffic lights, stop anywhere, overtake dangerously, block lanes and show little respect for other motorists, pedestrians or passengers.

What is worse is that some of these violations happen in full view of traffic officers. When offenders break the law openly and nothing happens, the public begins to lose confidence in enforcement. This must change.

The madness on our roads is no longer limited to speeding or careless overtaking. We now see boda bodas carrying three or even four passengers (so called mishikaki), bajajs being overcrowded beyond safe limits and cyclists riding at night without helmets, reflectors or proper visibility. These practices are extremely dangerous for passengers and all other road users.

As Arusha welcomes the peak tourism season and Tanzania looks ahead to AFCON 2027, the city must put its house in order. Arusha is a gateway city. Its roads should reflect safety, discipline and respect not chaos and unnecessary risk.

The police have shown that action is possible. Now that same urgency must be applied consistently to dala dalas, bajajs, boda bodas, cyclists and private motorists alike.

Road safety is a shared responsibility but enforcement must be firm. Let us bring order back to our roads before more lives are lost.

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