| Monitoring:Rage driving is contagious | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 21 January 2012 19:19 |
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By Sound Living Reporter For a visitor, the rate of accidents on Dar es Salaam main roads can be quite alarming. But for those who have been in the city long enough, accidents have become a commonplace occurrence. Driving along major highways leading to the city centre from various suburbs, for example, one can’t help but feel it’s a jungle – where ‘survival of the fittest’ rules. Vehicles causing traffic jams after knocking each other are a regular sight. Apparently, most accidents are a result of sheer recklessness on the part of drivers. Either the driver is in a hurry going only God knows where, or he is ignorant of the basic road rules. Dar es Salaam drivers are notorious for their bad attitude. The sad thing is that it has become contagious. People, who started off as careful motorists, often end up joining the squad; talk about ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. For example, over the years, I am sure many have witnessed an increasing number of women, who exhibit hostile driving habits. Women used to be ‘ladies’ on the road, but not anymore. Most of them will now feature prominently on the list of rage drivers. They will not only refuse vehemently to give you way to filter in no matter how much you beg, but also overtake like bus drivers, from the right and the left. And like motorists who learnt their skills during wedding processions, they will hoot and hoot your brains out! It is also now almost commonplace to see Dar es Salaam motorists, both men and women, eating, drinking, and putting on makeup, reading, and talking on their cell phones while driving. Many people see nothing wrong with all this. It has become normal, like talking on a cell phone while driving. Despite the fact this has been cited as one of the major causes of thousands of vehicle accidents, many of which fatal, many motorists will confess they shun the hands-free device for no apparent reason. Many countries have passed laws that require drivers to use a hands-free device if they wish to use their cell phone while driving. Hands-free devices allow a driver to have their conversation without having to hold the phone’s handset up to their ear. This has the effect of taking the driver’s focus off of the cell phone and putting it back on the road where it belongs. With the assistance of a hands-free device, there is now no difference between talking on the phone and talking to a passenger in the same vehicle. Technology has now made it safe to use cell phones while driving. But who cares? Ends Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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