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. of recent years.
Security issue
The tragedy attributed to the bursting of a tire drew a flood 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, but also minibuses commonly known as “
seven-seaters
” will no longer be able to travel between localities from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Buses conveying passengers as well as goods are one of the main means of transport in Senegal, including at night, and cause many accidents.
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 accident has brought to light the evils of the road in Senegal, as in many African countries: dilapidated and dangerous layout of vehicles, reckless driving, or even widespread corruption of agents responsible for enforcing the laws or passing the license. To drive.
Road accidents officially kill 700 people each year in Senegal, a country of more than 17 million inhabitants.