Bus owners warned: Do not ‘temper’ the vehicle tracking system – VTS
You will be glad to learn that I am among those who think long-distance buses should not travel at night, since this serves only one purpose: allowing the drivers to break the law, especially speeding, with impunity. Speeding is a major factor in road accidents.
In the wake of the government allowing long-distance buses to travel at night, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA), is already having to take stern measures against some bus companies.
This is reported on page 3 of the Custodian, of 12 August, in a news item titled: “LATRA tasks bus firm to adhere to road safety rules.” The bus firm being referred to is identified as New Force Enterprises. LATRA is quoted as saying:
“A series of accidents involving the New Force buses ‘were intolerant’ as most of them are ‘caused due to’ recklessness of its drivers.”
What did the writer have in mind by saying: “a series of accidents ………… were intolerant”?
The answer may be in the third paragraph, where, the word ‘intolerable’ is used, instead of ‘intolerant’. The accidents are intolerable.
Are the accidents “caused due” to recklessness of drivers? Well, you do not use these two words: “caused due,” together. The accidents can be “due to,” or, they can be, “caused by,” the recklessness of drivers.
We can now re-write our main sentence into:
“A series of accidents involving the New Force buses ‘were intolerable’ as most of them are ‘due to’ the recklessness of its drivers,” or,
“A series of accidents involving the New Force buses ‘were intolerable’ as most of them are ‘caused by’ the recklessness of its drivers.”
The LATRA official is quoted as hinting at some action that the authority had taken:
“The buses were initially suspended after establishing that ‘those buses were found’ with various irregularities, including ‘tempering’ Vehicle Tracking System – VTS.”
This sentence could be shortened, by, for example, finding a way of avoiding repeating the word “buses”, in this one sentence. More serious, however, is the fact that the correct verb is not ‘tempering’, but, rather, ‘tampering’.
“Tempering” means: “improving the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it.”
On the other hand, ‘Tampering’ means: “interfering with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorised alterations.” You can bet, bus owners or drivers, can tamper with the VTS, with the aim of breaking the law, undetected.
We have to re-write the sentence and the following version is recommended:
“The buses were initially suspended after establishing that they had various irregularities, including ‘tampering’ with the Vehicle Tracking System – VTS.”
A front page news item titled: “Forget any demos, IGP, warns activists,” in the Custodian, of Saturday 12 August, has it that: “the IGP issued a stern warning to the effect that members of the public should stay clear of being trapped by a few people into participating in (such) demonstrations.”
The IGP went on: “Police would not spare anyone involved in any illegal ‘walk’.”
In one breath, the police are warning people against participating in demonstrations. In another, the public is warned against getting involved in any “illegal walk.”
No, we say: ‘Demonstrations’ are not equivalent to ‘a walk’ or vice versa. The police banned demonstrations. What could an ‘illegal walk’ be?
The IGP had more warnings to issue:
“We have never been a country of chaos. Let me inform you that our police force is very strong, so they should not “try us,” as we will take stern measures.”
By: “trying us,” the writer was clearly thinking in Swahili: ‘msitujaribu’. I would go for the verb ‘provoke’.
“We have never been a country of chaos. Let me inform you that our police force is very strong, so they should not “provoke us,” as we will take stern measures.”
There is a Kihaya saying that however drunk you might be, do not joke with a leopard; you will end up getting injured! Let us all be aware!
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