Senegalese authorities have announced a series of new measures and restrictions in a bid to insure better road security in the wake of a deadly collision between two buses that took the lives of at least 40 people.
Following a government meeting in Diamniadio, near Dakar, the country’s Prime Minister Amadou Ba announced that public passenger transport buses would be banned from traveling "on interurban roads between 23:00 and 05:00."
Buses called “schedules” are the basic means of transport in Senegal. They usually travel at night between different regions of the West African country, making them vulnerable to traffic accidents.
Other measures announced by the Senegalese government include a ban on the import of second-hand tires and making “the sealing of speedometers of vehicles transporting people and goods at 90 km/h" mandatory.
“[These measures] must not be postponed or compromised. We will be uncompromising with those who violate the rules enacted to ensure the physical integrity of our citizens,” the prime minister said of the 23 new measures set to come into force this week.
Road accidents in Senegal are considered to be relatively common. They reportedly kill around 700 people yearly, and they are largely attributed to driver indiscipline, poor roads, and often old vehicles.
On Sunday morning, at least 40 people died, and 70 others were injured when two buses collided in the Kaffrine region of central Senegal. The incident took place as one of the buses from the country's capital Dakar smashed into the side of the other. The accident enters the list of the most fatal accidents recorded on the West African country's roads.