It is common knowledge that you are more likely to die from a road accident in Tanzania than a lion attack!
I was also told that the most dangerous section of road in the world is the Moshi to Arusha road! That's a pretty bold statement, and I would be surprised if it's true, but I drove on it most days and it sure is a dangerous place!
The Daladalas, smaller shuttle buses that are supposed to carry about 13 passengers, are one of the problems as they race each other to pick up passengers and dart amongst the other traffic to do so. They do not mind where they stop and how much disruption it causes to other road users.
The Coasters are one step up from the Daladalas and they ply the route from Moshi to Arusha carrying 30 passengers. The travel at very high speeds, even through small villages such as Kikatiti where they regularly hit pedestrians! Sometimes they do not even stop! Other times the driver will run away as he would likely be attacked or caught under the influence of Khat.
Then there are the bigger buses that ply the route from Dar es Salaam to Arusha. 'In God We Trust' is usually blazoned on the bus and it seems the the drivers are fatalistic - we will survive if God wishes!
Buses will overtake when there is oncoming traffic, flashing their lights to say 'we are coming, do what you will to get of the way!' And you simply must get out of the way, even off the road - which is often not as simple as it sounds!
They will pass you regardless of safety as well and as they pass the conductor will be hanging out the door hurling abuse at you. They sometimes they try to drive you off the road or sharply cut in front of you.
Some of the drivers use Khat, leaves and twigs of the plant [small tree] Catha edulis. It is a stimulant that causes euphoria and excitement. With dilated pupils these guys can drive unsafely for hours! Many drivers will work for stints of twelve hours.
I was traveling back from Usa River in the Landrover and saw the Coaster catching up on me fast - I had good mirrors, left, right and central [between the sun visors] so was tracking his movements, as you learn to do.
I signaled that I was going to turn right into the Makumira road and moved to the center of the road to allow the Coaster to pass on my left and I could see he was going to do so. I shifted my gaze to where I was to make my turn and began to turn. The Makumira road is rough so I was not going fast.
Wham! The Coaster tried to go around me on my right - I think he had seen the people waiting on the side of the road [green dots on the plan] and thought he might hit them! The front of the bus hit the door post at my shoulder. It was nearly lights out for me! The bus grazed along the door, smashing the mirror, along the mudguard and caught the bumper bar causing the car to spin to the left, propelling it towards the people who were waiting on the side of the road for a Daladala!
I was heading straight for them and and though I braked hard, the car seemed not to slow down and I could barely steer it! One woman was transfixed and just stood there, wide eyed - the rest ran out of the way! I just managed to miss her as the car took me down the five metre bank where it came to rest! The woman recieved a scratch on her arm, that did not break the skin, caused by the the shattered arm of the rear vision mirror! I sat there for a moment, shocked, and went out to the woman and gave her a hug - we both had been lucky!
The Coaster took 400 metres to stop up the road!
Soon a crowd gathered and the driver and his conductor came back to see the damage. The driver actually apologized. Our friend, Somi was there with his bike, so I sent him up to Mags to tell her that I had had an accident but I was ok. Someone had gone off to the police post at Tengeru and a Pastor came along on his motorbike, so I sent him to DME and soon the General Secretary arrived.
Obedi (that purple dot on the plan) had been sitting watching his cattle graze and he had seen the whole thing, and that I had signaled in plenty of time. He was watching me expecting the usual wave as I passed him.
The General Secretary introduced a traffic cop to me, all dressed in his white uniform.
'This is a good man, he is part of my parish.' he said.
Ha! A few weeks previously this cop had stopped me at the police post at the edge of Arusha and claimed that my reflectors were finished, worn out! And the left was on the right and vice versa! He wanted me to pay him an instant fine of Tsh20 000/-! He took my drivers license to see that it was in order and when I told him I was carrying no money, he said he would hold on to it until I returned with the Tsh20 000/-. I snatched the license off him suggesting that I would be in further trouble if another cop stopped me and I had no license. I gave him a lecture about me helping his countrymen, and tiring of my tirade, he let me go. And there was nothing wrong with my reflectors!
After the measurements were all made we were off to the police station in Usa River. Me, the bus driver and a witness. Oh yeah, the witness the cop chose was the bus conductor! Was that going to be a stitch-up or not? So I called Obedi to come as my witness, to even things up for the sergeant at the desk!
You wait around a lot at police stations in Tanzania and I had been around a few for various reasons. The Inspector [well I guess he was Inspector as he had pips on his shoulders] happened to come in from somewhere and asked if 'we were receiving service'. I had actually met this guy elsewhere, delivering trees, and I had no idea that he was a policeman, so I took the opportunity to to tell him what had happened. The officiousness of the cop that was supposed to be a help me evaporated. The Inspector wrote a note to say that the bus driver was certainly at fault.
We were then required to go into Arusha to the main police station to formalize the events and to see what was the next move. My 'helpful' cop rode with me in the Landrover, which was drivable at low speed because the front wheel was buckled, and he was none too happy when I headed up the Makumira road because I wanted to show Mags that I was ok.
I ignored the cop's call for me to hurry while explained what had happened and what was going on and I downed half a bottle of coke - the only nourishment I was to have until after 6:00pm!
We were met by the Agency Field Rep, Mama Tabasamu, at the police station in Arusha and the bus owner was to be there too. I can't be sure he was the owner, probably a spokesman but I don't really know.
This fellow admitted that it was his responsibility to fix the Landrover and I had been thinking and worrying about the loss of production without a vehicle. So he took us [well I drove the Landrover] to various workshops around Arusha that purported to repair vehicles. The guy was asking for quotes from them. None of these places looked anywhere near satisfactory, I wouldn't take a wheel barrow to any of them for repair! But it seemed from what I heard that the repairs were going to be in the range of one million shillings.
It was a hot afternoon and I hadn't eaten since 6:00pm and had only that half bottle of coke so I had a headache and was craving sustenance, but knew I had to keep my wits about me with this lot!
Back at the police station another shoulder-pipped guy had a clipboard and wanted me to sign a deal. What?
Mama Tabasamu being a local woman was not wanting to 'rock the boat' and I was feeling that I was on my own to ensure that I had a vehicle over the next few months and to maximize the outcome for the Agency.
The bus owner told us that he was able to front up with cash Tsh300 000/- there and then to complete the deal.
Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector wanted me to accept and sign the deal off!
'Well, we pay good money for the insurance - they should pay out to us and take the bus owner to court.!' was my opinion.
'No, the insurance company will not pay out - such claims take years!' Mama Tabasamu told me. And the Inspector nodded agreement.
'Well we will just take this bus owner to court.' I said. I was considering paying to fix it myself if I had too just to keep the project going - but was not going to mention that!
'A court case will take a long time and cost you a lot of money - and you may end up with nothing.' the Inspector said.
I took Mama Tabasamu aside. 'I'm not letting this go cheaply, has the Agency funds to fix the car?' I asked her.
'Yes there is an emergency fund. We should close this deal with this man, he is difficult.' she replied. It was getting late and she obviously wanted the situation resolved.
I then spoke to the Inspector in English. 'Does this guy get off so easily to simply to pay out Tsh300 000/-and that is all?'
'It is your best option, otherwise it will cost you time and money.' he replied.
'Your Tsh300 000/- is not enough.' I told the bus owner, 'I will not sign the document off. We can sit here all night for all I care!'
The bus owner was silent. Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector did a collective eye roll!
'I will sign it if you pay Tsh500 000/-.' I added.
The bus owner was silent and I got out of the car to stretch my legs - leaving the three to talk if they wanted to. I felt six eyes on my neck!
When I climbed back in the car, the bus owner said,'Tsh400 000/-.' Well we were negotiating.
I looked him in the eye and replied in the negative. There was a stalemate and the three were obviously irritated by my uncooperative attitude.
We sat in silence for around twenty minutes.
'Ok,' I said, 'I will accept Tsh450 000/-.' Adding the word 'mwisho' meaning my final offer.
Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector's eyes focused on the bus owner's mouth.
'Sawa, ok.' he said and hopped out of the vehicle and counted out money in a way we couldn't see, then handed me the money - the bugger had plenty, rolls of it!
I signed the form, Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector were happy, and I handed her the money.
I drove the Landrover to the Agency yard and left it there, caught a packed Daladala then walked up the 4.5km road to enjoy a coke and some food! The driver had gotten off scot-free.
Owing to a convoluted story, there was a spare vehicle for me to use and Mama Tabasamu asked me to check out a repair place that was near her home. It turned out later that they knew each other but that was not volunteered at the time.
They replaced the damaged parts with secondhand/recovered parts and they were slower than they had promised. But they were cheap, only Tsh500 000/-. Some aspects of their work were good others not so, but two weeks later I picked up the vehicle - without a spare wheel because the one hit by the bus was buckled and they 'could not locate one. I found another one around Kilala. So that was a profit for the fundi - repairer.
Of course the bus driver was never charged and no claim was made to the insurance company - oh yes it is compulsory to insure vehicles, that is why there a police blocks to check that they are.
Crashed buses cause a high death toll such as the one we saw on the way back from Tanga, that smashed into a train killing 70 people! The one that passed all the cars and other vehicles waiting for flood-waters to subside at a river between Dar es Salaam and Tanga. The bridge had been washed away and the bus hydroplaned into the water and all on board were lost.
Trucks are often overloaded and I have seen one like that pictured - just too much weight on the back [it too was carrying timber] and the front wheels off the ground.
There was one where the brakes failed and it fell into a river bed - the bridge must be 40 - 50 metres above the river bed. I'm not sure on the casualties, but they stripped that truck down piece by piece and man-handled the whole thing out!
Motor bikes are risky as well. One Pastor came to see me asking for trees and we put them in a box ready for him as he was to call back in the evening after his day's work. He never arrived - puttering out a side road with a pillion passenger, they were hit by a speeding vehicle and he died on the spot and his passenger was badly hurt.
Another guy who was in charge of a secretarial school was coming to see me because I had a complaint. On the short stretch of that road between the school and our turn-off, he was hit and killed instantly.
All I could was pay my respects at their funerals - poleni.
I was also told that the most dangerous section of road in the world is the Moshi to Arusha road! That's a pretty bold statement, and I would be surprised if it's true, but I drove on it most days and it sure is a dangerous place!
The Daladalas, smaller shuttle buses that are supposed to carry about 13 passengers, are one of the problems as they race each other to pick up passengers and dart amongst the other traffic to do so. They do not mind where they stop and how much disruption it causes to other road users.
The Coasters are one step up from the Daladalas and they ply the route from Moshi to Arusha carrying 30 passengers. The travel at very high speeds, even through small villages such as Kikatiti where they regularly hit pedestrians! Sometimes they do not even stop! Other times the driver will run away as he would likely be attacked or caught under the influence of Khat.
Then there are the bigger buses that ply the route from Dar es Salaam to Arusha. 'In God We Trust' is usually blazoned on the bus and it seems the the drivers are fatalistic - we will survive if God wishes!
Buses will overtake when there is oncoming traffic, flashing their lights to say 'we are coming, do what you will to get of the way!' And you simply must get out of the way, even off the road - which is often not as simple as it sounds!
They will pass you regardless of safety as well and as they pass the conductor will be hanging out the door hurling abuse at you. They sometimes they try to drive you off the road or sharply cut in front of you.
Some of the drivers use Khat, leaves and twigs of the plant [small tree] Catha edulis. It is a stimulant that causes euphoria and excitement. With dilated pupils these guys can drive unsafely for hours! Many drivers will work for stints of twelve hours.
I was traveling back from Usa River in the Landrover and saw the Coaster catching up on me fast - I had good mirrors, left, right and central [between the sun visors] so was tracking his movements, as you learn to do.I signaled that I was going to turn right into the Makumira road and moved to the center of the road to allow the Coaster to pass on my left and I could see he was going to do so. I shifted my gaze to where I was to make my turn and began to turn. The Makumira road is rough so I was not going fast.
Wham! The Coaster tried to go around me on my right - I think he had seen the people waiting on the side of the road [green dots on the plan] and thought he might hit them! The front of the bus hit the door post at my shoulder. It was nearly lights out for me! The bus grazed along the door, smashing the mirror, along the mudguard and caught the bumper bar causing the car to spin to the left, propelling it towards the people who were waiting on the side of the road for a Daladala!
I was heading straight for them and and though I braked hard, the car seemed not to slow down and I could barely steer it! One woman was transfixed and just stood there, wide eyed - the rest ran out of the way! I just managed to miss her as the car took me down the five metre bank where it came to rest! The woman recieved a scratch on her arm, that did not break the skin, caused by the the shattered arm of the rear vision mirror! I sat there for a moment, shocked, and went out to the woman and gave her a hug - we both had been lucky!
The Coaster took 400 metres to stop up the road!
Soon a crowd gathered and the driver and his conductor came back to see the damage. The driver actually apologized. Our friend, Somi was there with his bike, so I sent him up to Mags to tell her that I had had an accident but I was ok. Someone had gone off to the police post at Tengeru and a Pastor came along on his motorbike, so I sent him to DME and soon the General Secretary arrived.
Obedi (that purple dot on the plan) had been sitting watching his cattle graze and he had seen the whole thing, and that I had signaled in plenty of time. He was watching me expecting the usual wave as I passed him.
The General Secretary introduced a traffic cop to me, all dressed in his white uniform.
'This is a good man, he is part of my parish.' he said.
Ha! A few weeks previously this cop had stopped me at the police post at the edge of Arusha and claimed that my reflectors were finished, worn out! And the left was on the right and vice versa! He wanted me to pay him an instant fine of Tsh20 000/-! He took my drivers license to see that it was in order and when I told him I was carrying no money, he said he would hold on to it until I returned with the Tsh20 000/-. I snatched the license off him suggesting that I would be in further trouble if another cop stopped me and I had no license. I gave him a lecture about me helping his countrymen, and tiring of my tirade, he let me go. And there was nothing wrong with my reflectors!
After the measurements were all made we were off to the police station in Usa River. Me, the bus driver and a witness. Oh yeah, the witness the cop chose was the bus conductor! Was that going to be a stitch-up or not? So I called Obedi to come as my witness, to even things up for the sergeant at the desk!
You wait around a lot at police stations in Tanzania and I had been around a few for various reasons. The Inspector [well I guess he was Inspector as he had pips on his shoulders] happened to come in from somewhere and asked if 'we were receiving service'. I had actually met this guy elsewhere, delivering trees, and I had no idea that he was a policeman, so I took the opportunity to to tell him what had happened. The officiousness of the cop that was supposed to be a help me evaporated. The Inspector wrote a note to say that the bus driver was certainly at fault.
We were then required to go into Arusha to the main police station to formalize the events and to see what was the next move. My 'helpful' cop rode with me in the Landrover, which was drivable at low speed because the front wheel was buckled, and he was none too happy when I headed up the Makumira road because I wanted to show Mags that I was ok.
I ignored the cop's call for me to hurry while explained what had happened and what was going on and I downed half a bottle of coke - the only nourishment I was to have until after 6:00pm!
We were met by the Agency Field Rep, Mama Tabasamu, at the police station in Arusha and the bus owner was to be there too. I can't be sure he was the owner, probably a spokesman but I don't really know.
This fellow admitted that it was his responsibility to fix the Landrover and I had been thinking and worrying about the loss of production without a vehicle. So he took us [well I drove the Landrover] to various workshops around Arusha that purported to repair vehicles. The guy was asking for quotes from them. None of these places looked anywhere near satisfactory, I wouldn't take a wheel barrow to any of them for repair! But it seemed from what I heard that the repairs were going to be in the range of one million shillings.
It was a hot afternoon and I hadn't eaten since 6:00pm and had only that half bottle of coke so I had a headache and was craving sustenance, but knew I had to keep my wits about me with this lot!
Back at the police station another shoulder-pipped guy had a clipboard and wanted me to sign a deal. What?
Mama Tabasamu being a local woman was not wanting to 'rock the boat' and I was feeling that I was on my own to ensure that I had a vehicle over the next few months and to maximize the outcome for the Agency.
The bus owner told us that he was able to front up with cash Tsh300 000/- there and then to complete the deal.
Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector wanted me to accept and sign the deal off!
'Well, we pay good money for the insurance - they should pay out to us and take the bus owner to court.!' was my opinion.
'No, the insurance company will not pay out - such claims take years!' Mama Tabasamu told me. And the Inspector nodded agreement.
'Well we will just take this bus owner to court.' I said. I was considering paying to fix it myself if I had too just to keep the project going - but was not going to mention that!
'A court case will take a long time and cost you a lot of money - and you may end up with nothing.' the Inspector said.
I took Mama Tabasamu aside. 'I'm not letting this go cheaply, has the Agency funds to fix the car?' I asked her.
'Yes there is an emergency fund. We should close this deal with this man, he is difficult.' she replied. It was getting late and she obviously wanted the situation resolved.
I then spoke to the Inspector in English. 'Does this guy get off so easily to simply to pay out Tsh300 000/-and that is all?'
'It is your best option, otherwise it will cost you time and money.' he replied.
'Your Tsh300 000/- is not enough.' I told the bus owner, 'I will not sign the document off. We can sit here all night for all I care!'
The bus owner was silent. Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector did a collective eye roll!
'I will sign it if you pay Tsh500 000/-.' I added.
The bus owner was silent and I got out of the car to stretch my legs - leaving the three to talk if they wanted to. I felt six eyes on my neck!
When I climbed back in the car, the bus owner said,'Tsh400 000/-.' Well we were negotiating.
I looked him in the eye and replied in the negative. There was a stalemate and the three were obviously irritated by my uncooperative attitude.
We sat in silence for around twenty minutes.
'Ok,' I said, 'I will accept Tsh450 000/-.' Adding the word 'mwisho' meaning my final offer.
Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector's eyes focused on the bus owner's mouth.
'Sawa, ok.' he said and hopped out of the vehicle and counted out money in a way we couldn't see, then handed me the money - the bugger had plenty, rolls of it!
I signed the form, Mama Tabasamu and the Inspector were happy, and I handed her the money.
I drove the Landrover to the Agency yard and left it there, caught a packed Daladala then walked up the 4.5km road to enjoy a coke and some food! The driver had gotten off scot-free.
Owing to a convoluted story, there was a spare vehicle for me to use and Mama Tabasamu asked me to check out a repair place that was near her home. It turned out later that they knew each other but that was not volunteered at the time.
They replaced the damaged parts with secondhand/recovered parts and they were slower than they had promised. But they were cheap, only Tsh500 000/-. Some aspects of their work were good others not so, but two weeks later I picked up the vehicle - without a spare wheel because the one hit by the bus was buckled and they 'could not locate one. I found another one around Kilala. So that was a profit for the fundi - repairer.
Of course the bus driver was never charged and no claim was made to the insurance company - oh yes it is compulsory to insure vehicles, that is why there a police blocks to check that they are.
Crashed buses cause a high death toll such as the one we saw on the way back from Tanga, that smashed into a train killing 70 people! The one that passed all the cars and other vehicles waiting for flood-waters to subside at a river between Dar es Salaam and Tanga. The bridge had been washed away and the bus hydroplaned into the water and all on board were lost.Trucks are often overloaded and I have seen one like that pictured - just too much weight on the back [it too was carrying timber] and the front wheels off the ground.
There was one where the brakes failed and it fell into a river bed - the bridge must be 40 - 50 metres above the river bed. I'm not sure on the casualties, but they stripped that truck down piece by piece and man-handled the whole thing out!
Motor bikes are risky as well. One Pastor came to see me asking for trees and we put them in a box ready for him as he was to call back in the evening after his day's work. He never arrived - puttering out a side road with a pillion passenger, they were hit by a speeding vehicle and he died on the spot and his passenger was badly hurt.
Another guy who was in charge of a secretarial school was coming to see me because I had a complaint. On the short stretch of that road between the school and our turn-off, he was hit and killed instantly.
All I could was pay my respects at their funerals - poleni.
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