National Road Safety Policy of 2009 - Uwaba.or.tz

and construction of all road facilities take into account the
needs of the vulnerable and physically disadvantaged in
an appropriate manner. They shall give highest priority
to actions aiming at reducing excess and inappropriate
speed problems and reducing the risk for vulnerable
road users;
• The Ministry responsible for infrastructure development
shall develop and implement safety-conscious standards
and guidelines for the use of roads, intersections, road
furniture and traffic management schemes, and road
authorities shall ensure that their road schemes conform
to these standards and guidelines;
• The Ministry shall carry out independent formal safety
audits for all major projects and any others where there
are safety concerns, in order to minimize the potential
for conflicts in the traffic environment.
5.2.2 Vehicle weight control
It is recognized that vehicles react differently when the maximum
weights which they are designed to carry are exceeded. In general,
overloading makes the vehicle less stable, difficult to steer and
takes longer to stop. Vehicle overloading can also causes massive
strains on vehicle tyres, can cause the tyres to overheat and wear
rapidly which increases the chance of premature, dangerous and
expensive failure (such as blow outs). Vehicle overloading causes
excessive wear and damage to roads, bridges and pavements
at the expense of the taxpayer. In addition, vehicle overloading
increases fuel consumption, and thus increases the national fuel
bill. Vehicle overloading also may mean that insurance cover is
void. Overloading a vehicle is illegal and therefore, insurance cover
can be voided if the vehicle is involved in a crash.
(a)
Issues
• Damage to the road by axle loads which exceed the
legal limit increases out of proportions to the load.
While all legally loaded heavy vehicles cause damage
to the bridges and roads, overloaded heavy vehicles are
responsible for over 60 percent of the damage to the
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