New vehicle rules postponed
After two meetings with the Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries, the Ministry of Transport has agreed to postpone the effective date for implementation of SI 154 from 1 December 2010 to July 2011. The Road Traffic Regulations, amongst other things, require motorists to carry fire extinguishers and reflective triangles approved by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.
According to The Herald, Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Secretary Partson Mbiriri said the regulations had been developed “after wide consultation with all stakeholders,” and that originally they had been intended to give road users 12 months notice before they took effect. But due to delays in the gazetting process, that notice period was greatly reduced – hence the postponement in the effective date.
As of yet, no one in Zimbabwe is authorised to sell SAZ approved products (one of the requirements of the regulations), and some concerns have been raised as to how fire extinguishers will fare sitting in parked vehicles in the sun, where temperatures can get to over 50 degress in the car.
More importantly, whether the regulations come into effect in December or in July next year, the larger questions remain the same – how do we trust the police, notorious for their bribe-seeking behaviour, to not simply view this as one more reason to harass drivers? In the context of Zimbabwe’s much larger problems, how relevant is an attempt to impose detailed requirements as to what I must carry in my vehicle and what specifications these items adhere to? Where does governmental involvement end and individual responsibility end – particularly in a context of authoritarian governance? Is it government’s job to require me to have a spare tyre, or is it my job as a motorist to ensure that I am looking after my vehicle – and respecting the safety of other road users?