The results of the road accident which took place on January 8 at 3 am in the Kaffrine region (250 km from Dakar) have shocked Senegal. While a three-day national mourning was decreed, messages in tribute to the 40 dead and 101 people injured in the collision between two buses multiplied. But the tragedy above all revived questions and exasperation in the face of the recurrence of fatal accidents.
Annually, 17,213 accidents occur in the country, 81% of which involve a public passenger transport vehicle, according to the national fire brigade. Kaffrine’s drama is the deadliest in recent years. In 2022, 607 deaths were recorded, mainly due to the behavior of users, the dilapidation of vehicles and, to a lesser extent, the state of the roads. In 90% of cases, negligence, speed and non-compliance with the highway code are to blame.
A scourge with root causes
Drivers, under pressure, link journeys without pausing. “These drivers have little training and are not sufficiently aware” risks, regrets Moustapha Ba, director of operations at the National Road Safety Agency. False licenses and lack of insurance, negligent behavior is fueled by widespread corruption. The lack of rigor and infrastructure in the regions for the examination of technical control, as well as a lax repression of traffic offenses, have an impact on passenger safety.
The buses, imported from Europe, do not meet the standards. They drive overloaded, with extra seats and racks to increase their capacity. They are equipped with imported used tires which, as was the case with the tragedy of January 8, are widely involved in accidents. Road insecurity is a costly scourge for the State, estimated at 163 billion FCFA annually (about 248 million euros), or 2% of GDP.
Doubts and criticisms
Two days after the Kaffrine tragedy, an inter-ministerial council to combat road insecurity presented 23 radical measures for an overhaul of the transport sector, which should be implemented within two weeks. When they were announced, criticism multiplied because some had already been announced in 2017, but never applied. For example, the ban on transforming vehicles intended for the transport of goods into passenger transport vehicles; or the prohibition of any transformation of vehicles aimed at increasing the places or adding luggage racks.
“As always, the state makes announcements but nothing changes,” sighs Ibrahima, from Dakar in his thirties. “I would be surprised if it succeeded this time, given the short deadline for application and the very feasibility of the proposals! », Doubts Pierre Gomis, head of the Union of Road Carriers of Senegal.
“The political will is there, but the state is faced with a few trade unionists who refuse certain measures. We are here for the general interest, what matters most is the safety of the Senegalese”, emphasizes Moustapha Ba. The National Union of Road Transport Workers in Senegal (SNTTRS) thus denounces “measures that carriers cannot support”. According to Pierre Gomis, “everything must be reviewed to clean up and reorganize the sector in order to avoid tragedies”.