11 September 2008
Maputo — The construction of the centres to be used for compulsory inspection of Mozambican vehicles began on Wednesday when the first stone was laid for the centre in Maputo city.
Presiding at this ceremony, Transport Minister Paulo Zucula declared "The Mozambican state, as one of the signatories to the SADC (Southern African Development Community) Protocol on Transport is well aware of the repercussions of road safety problems on the lives of citizens".
"So today we are formally beginning the construction of centres to inspect vehicles and trailers, which will help promote safety on our roads", he said.
Cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", Zucula said that, in addition to the fixed centres in all the provincial capitals, there will also be mobile centres, so that the inspection services can be taken to all parts of the country.
The Maputo centre, which should be ready by December, will be able to inspect between 300 and 400 vehicles a day. It will have seven lanes, three with the capacity to inspect both heavy and light vehicles, while the other four will only cater for light vehicles.
All vehicles that pass through the centres will have their brakes, steering, tyres, lighting and signaling checked. After the inspection, those that pass will receive a safety guarantee certificate, while those that fail will be given a period to correct defects, after which they will be checked again.
Licences to operate the inspection centres have been issued to private companies, for periods of 25 years. The government's National Traffic Institute (INAV) will own and supervise the centres, and ensure that they are operated in accordance with the law.
The poor mechanical state of many vehicles is among the major causes of accidents on Mozambican roads. Sometimes these problems are visible to the naked eye, as in the case of the alarming number of vehicles, including military trucks, circulating with bald tyres.
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