Dar es Salaam. Seven people, including four men and three women, were killed in the early hours of September 11, 2025, when the Probox vehicle they were travelling in slammed into a stationary truck in Kongo village, Rorya district, Mara region.
The victims were returning from the Simba Day festival in Dar es Salaam to their home village of Utegi.
The accident occurred when the Probox, with registration number T 625 DYV, collided with a broken-down truck that was left on the road without any warning signs. Dr Yonah Charles, the Medical Officer in Charge at Tarime District Hospital, confirmed that all seven individuals died at the scene.
The Police Force has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the precise cause and any contributing negligence.
This tragic incident is not an isolated event but rather a stark reminder of the broader road safety crisis plaguing Tanzania. While official government data reported over 1,300 road fatalities in 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the actual number could be as high as 10,000 annually.
READ MORE: Nineteen Perish in Iringa Following Deadly Road Accident
This discrepancy highlights the challenge of accurately grasping the full extent of the problem. Police statistics for 2023 recorded 1,733 road crashes, a slight increase from 1,720 in 2022, with fatalities rising by 6.6 per cent to 1,647.
A significant portion of these accidents is attributed to human error. Reckless driving, for instance, accounted for a staggering 73.7 per cent of all accidents resulting from human errors between January and December 2024.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has repeatedly called for enhanced strategies to prevent accidents caused by negligence, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The statistics paint a grim picture, with 97 per cent of the 1,735 accidents recorded in 2024 being caused by human errors, leading to 1,715 deaths and 2,719 injuries.
In response to the escalating crisis, the government has launched several initiatives aimed at improving road safety. In August 2024, Vice-President Philip Mpango unveiled a new three-year Road Safety Plan.
This plan, developed in collaboration with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), integrates improved road design, inspection systems, and iRAP certification to enhance the safety of the country’s roads.
READ MORE: Tanzania’s Roads Are a Metaphor for Its People’s Daily Lives
The plan is aligned with the Safe System Approach and includes measures to identify and upgrade hazardous road locations, improve speed management, and address dangerous behaviours like drunk and unlicensed driving.
President Samia has also been a vocal advocate for stricter enforcement of traffic laws. She has directed the Police Force to implement a system for deducting points from the driving licenses of those who commit traffic offences, to create a more robust system than the current one, which often relies on fines alone.
Experts and studies suggest a multifaceted approach to effectively curb the problem. The WHO emphasises the importance of improving road safety, efficient law enforcement, and emergency medicine.
Pre-hospital care is particularly crucial in saving lives. In this regard, organisations like the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM) have been working to improve emergency medical services in Tanzania, training healthcare professionals and equipping hospitals.
