A study of road accident characteristics on principal roads of Dar es Salaam city.

In this dissertation, a study of road accident characteristics in the city of Dar-es-Salaam was undertaken. An analysis of road accident characteristics in the city and on its principal arterial roads was performed using the Microcomputer Accident Analysis Program 5 (MAAP5). Using the accident database created by MAAP5, blackspots or hazardous locations have been identified for 1995 through May 1997 period. Most road authorities worldwide have active "blackspots" programs to deal with accident reduction, on locations with high accident frequency. Some road authorities are now also focusing on accident prevention by ensuring that, the design of new roads and traffic schemes will provide a high level of safety, and thus attempting to prevent accidents from happening or at least ensure that any accident effects are minimized. In Tanzania now, MOW has issued a comprehensive document on road safety program that provides a focal point for the introduction of the new road safety and traffic management system. The introduction of a microcomputer package for analysis of accidents has enabled the analysis of accident trends and patterns on which blackspots can be identified and hence countermeasures suggested. The first two sites which are most dangerous are node no. 227, that is an access point to Jangwani play grounds along Morogoro road and link no.039/198 that is a section between Ubungo traffic lights and Nelson Mandela/External road junction. The cause of accidents along these two selected locations, according to MAAP5 analysis, is the excessive speed of vehicles due to reckless driving and pedestrians using these roads. Therefore, provision of rumble strips has been suggested as a feasible countermeasure at the two sites. The design and cost estimate for the rumble strips is also provided.