Lights off, logic gone, who trained these drivers?

DAR ES SALAAM: THERE is a culture that must stop and let us be blunt: Our roads are becoming less of a journey and more of a gamble, especially at night.

A new and absurd driving habit is sweeping across our highways, one that defies all logic, common sense, and quite possibly, the training manuals from the National Institute of Transport (NIT).

It goes like this: A commuter or upcountry bus is speeding through the night.

Suddenly, upon seeing an approaching vehicle, the driver switches off the headlights. Complete darkness. Then, just as they pass, the lights come back on like a badly timed magic trick.

Is this a driving tactic? Or, dare we ask, something they actually teach in our driving schools now? Seriously, where did this unresearched and implemented idea come from?

If it is meant to reduce glare or prevent blinding the oncoming driver, then someone is missing the point.

Because switching off headlights entirely doesn’t reduce glare, it only increases the chances of a head-on collision.

Are we now prioritising bus drivers’ improvisational skills over public safety? And what does Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) have to say about this?

As the regulator of energy and utilities, surely, they have something to say about people turning off vital utilities like light… while speeding at may be 80-100 km/h? Someone, somewhere, has to step in before our roads become a poorlylit game of Russian roulette.

Now, if that wasn’t enough, let us talk about this newly crowned breed of upcountry buses or self-anointed as VIPs. Why, you ask? Because they have onboard toilets, hand out sweets, and occasionally toss you a lukewarm bottle of soda/water.

For this royal treatment, passengers are expected to dig deeper into their wallets for fares that are sometimes higher than ordinary buses travelling the exact same route.

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Same roads. Same police checks. Same reckless overtaking. Are we paying for the experience, or are we just being toilet-taxed?

Let us be honest, because there is nothing “Very Important” about getting a mint and a sugar-coated welcome speech, only to spend 8 hours with a driver seeing an approaching vehicle and switches off the headlights and praying the bus doesn’t break down in the middle of nowhere.

Who approved this pricing model? Has EWURA given these buses a green light to price fares like they are operating a chartered flight instead of a road trip to Mbeya/Mara/Bukoba? Yes, comfort matters.

Yes, value-added services are great. But when that value is inflated beyond reason, it smells less like luxury and more like exploitation.

If there’s truly a VIP experience on our roads, it should start with safety, discipline and logic not just toilets and treats.

So, to NIT, EWURA and everyone else responsible: Let us flick the switch back on literally and figuratively. Our lives, our wallets, and our dignity as passengers are all in the dark right now.

And it is high time someone turned the lights back on.