Motorcycle accidents continue to rob youth of their fututre

Lying on a four-by-six bed at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI)’s ward 3BQ3, Joachim Tarimo, seemingly in great pain from a broken leg, swears to never board a bodaboda again.

The 21-year-old ICT diploma holder had always dreaded the two-wheeler and had not boarded one for over three years. He lost a close friend in a motorcycle crash in 2013, and had vowed to never ride on one.

However, as the saying goes, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. On that fateful February 27 morning, Joachim put his fears aside and hired a bodaboda. He had to meet a friend in Kijitonyama who had good news for him.

Having graduated from the Institute of Transport last year, Joachim who lives in Kimara, was yet to secure a job and his friend, Musa, had promised to help him find one. That day, Musa wanted to brief him on the search progress, but insisted that Joachim should get to his place before he (Musa) left for other engagements. Hiring a bodaboda, therefore, was the only option Joachim had if he was to get there on time. It was faster than the daladala.

Unfortunately, instead of getting to Kijitonyama on time, Joachim became another motorcycle accident statistic, 20 minutes after he left Kimara. The speeding motorcycle he had hired collided with a car at Ubungo.

“I passed out the moment I hit the ground to later find myself with a broken leg in a hospital room,” says Joachim, tears welling in his eyes. Today, he does not want to hear anything to do with bodabodas.

Joachim’s fear for the widely used means of transport in the city is real. Data from the traffic police headquarters indicates that 7,219 people have died in motorcycle accidents in the past nine years, leaving 35,878 people with injuries.

This means every year, between 2008 and 2016, an average of 800 Tanzanians lost their lives due to bodaboda accidents. Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Mbeya, Coast and Mwanza regions recorded the highest number of deaths, Dar es Salaam leading with 999 deaths.

While police figures show that the number of deaths and injuries countrywide, have dropped by a margin of 44 and 242, respectively, between 2015 and 2016, data from MOI, where Joachim is admitted paints a different picture.

MOI figures show the number of motorcycle accident victims admitted to the institute has more than doubled in the last seven years from 1,359 in 2010 to 3,273 in 2016, owing to motorcyclists’ recklessness.

A 2012 study by Dr Mcharo Bryson, an orthopedic surgeon at MOI on motorcycle accidents, among patients treated at MOI, shows that only 50 per cent of the injury victims had been wearing a helmet at the time of accident. The study shows that 62 per cent of the riders had been wearing a helmet while only 13 per cent of the passengers had been wearing a helmet.

Experience shows a high percentage of riders only wear a helmet when a traffic police officer is in sight. As for the passengers, most avoid the helmet on health grounds. They fear skin infection since the helmets are worn by different people. With the tougher regulations today, the use of helmets is slowly picking up.

The number of motorcycle accident victims admitted to MOI last year was the highest in history, involving motorcyclists, passengers and pedestrians.

Bodaboda use as a means of transport has been increasing by the day due to its ability to navigate traffic jams in busy cities like Dar es Salaam and on rough roads in rural areas.

However, as the industry grows, bodabodas are choking health budgets with statistics showing that motorcycles account for 20 per cent of fatal road accidents in Tanzania.

Increasing bodaboda demand has created employment to youths with some of them entering the business without having proper training, hence leading to accidents that leave scores dead or injured.

Michael Elisha, 31, a motorcyclist in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam never received proper training, but learnt how to ride a motorcycle from relatives. According to Dr Mcharo’s study, only 50 per cent riders possessed a licence.

“I could not afford attending a driving school since it is expensive,” says Elisha.

Despite having lost a brother in a motorcycle accident, whom Elisha had trained to ride a motorcycle himself, Elisha is not afraid of accidents since to him, “an accident while trying to put food on the table is a common thing.” He says some people die in their sleep, which to him means death can not be avoided.

Despite never having undergone proper training, some motorcyclists think they know the traffic laws like Omar Ndaro, 36, a motorcyclist in Mabibo, Dar es Salaam, claims. Having been a lorry conductor for more than five years, Omar thinks he knows it all.

But the Chief Traffic Police Commander, Mr Mohamed Mpinga, says lack of proper training among many motorcyclists makes them vulnerable to accidents since they do not understand traffic laws.

“Most of them are not careful on the road, some ride motorcycles while drunk and are obsessed with speedy riding,” says Mpinga.

The traffic police chief says strategies are underway to reduce or eliminate bodaboda accidents in the country.

“We work in partnership with driving colleges which conduct outreach programmes to educate motorcyclists on various issues. We also engage the media and use sports to ensure motorcyclists are equipped with basic training on road safety,” says Mpinga adding that there are tough penalties for law violators.

Motorcycle accidents are a burden to families and the nation at large. They claim the lives of breadwinners as well as the national workforce. The lucky ones like Joachim spend months in hospital rather than engaging in productive activities.

Joachim, who graduated last year with a Diploma in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for example has lost time he would have spent productively, at MOI.

Although he is hopeful he will be able to achieve his life goals once he recovers, Joachim does not think life will ever be the same again. “I used to play football in my local team where I used to be among the best players. I also used to jog every day and I was the leader of the jogging club in my neighbourhood before the accident. I don’t think I will be able to do all this with implants in my leg.”

He regrets ever taking that bodaboda ride and allowing the motorcyclist to ride at a high speed.

In ward number 3BQ3 where Joachim is admitted, most of the patients are nursing wounds sustained from bodaboda accidents. Most of the patients have been here for between three to six months. Dr Mcharo’s study shows that limb and head injuries were the most common. The study also shows that collision between motorcycles and motor vehicles was the most frequently reported, followed by collision between motorcycles and pedestrians.

Asheli Hosea, also admitted in ward 3BQ3 has been at MOI for two months now, following a motorcycle accident that left him with a broken thigh bone. Speaking with difficulty, the 29-year-old father of a two-year-old girl, expressed his worries on life after he is discharged.

He has no relatives in Dar es Salaam except his little daughter whose mother died during delivery. When he was admitted to MOI, he was supposed to undergo a surgery for which he was required to pay Sh200,000, which he did not have.

He is thankful the hospital management reduced the amount to Sh50,000 after they learnt about his situation.

Dr Othman Kiloloma, MOI Secretary General says some patients can not afford treatment costs given the high cost of medical equipment.

Dr Kiloloma says the institute bears the cost in situations like Hosea’s, who has no relatives to help him foot the bill, while those who can afford dig deep into their pockets to pay for the costs.

As Joachim recovers at MOI, he is grateful that he is alive, unlike the friend he lost in a bodaboda accident in 2013. He is also glad that his leg will not be amputated.

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