The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has requested Toyota Zambia to conduct research on the Toyota Noah following numerous reports of accidents involving the vehicles.
RTSA chief executive officer Zindaba Soko said his organisation decided to ask Toyota to do a research on the Noah because it was part of the Toyota family.Mr Soko said RTSA made the request for the research to be conducted last year and they were expected to get the report this year.
Asked on the possibility of banning the Noah, Mr Soko said that would only depend on the report from Toyota.
“We asked Toyota to conduct a research on these vehicles because we had a high number of accidents involving the Noah,” Mr Soko said.He warned bus operators that his organisation would be strict because they had an obligation to protect the lives of the travelers as a high number of accidents in the country was caused by human error.
“At least 90 per cent of those accidents are all as a result of human error,” Mr Soko said. “Some drivers … speed on a bad road, this behaviour is really bad.”
The recommended sitting capacity for a Noah is seven passengers but some drivers overload them by carrying as many as 12 passengers, which is careless on the part of the drivers.
RTSA recently summoned 15 bus operators, namely, Mazhandu Family Bus Services, CR Holdings, Power Tools, Jitotwe, Lombeson, Lameck Ngona and CEA Fire Comfort Liners.Other were Benard Moyo, Victor Mbao, Grand Enterprises, Capital Buses (Flash Buses), Javice Mutale, Simon Kalunga, Euro Africa Bus Services and RK Motorways.
According to a BBC report in October 2014 Japanese carmaker Toyota recalled 1.75 million vehicles worldwide over faulty brake installations and fuel component issues.
The latest brake defect was found in some models of Toyota’s Crown Majesta, as well as the Noah and Voxy models produced between June 2007 and 2012.Toyota told the BBC it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities caused by this defect.
How did those Drivers get ama Licence in the first place…?
A driver is supposed to adapt to the vehicle they are driving….. Isn’t this part of the 10 Basic rules of driving….?!
Know your car and it’s road worth….
Although Noah is a Toyota product, it is unlikely that Toyota Zambia would give an objective assessment of the vehicle. After all they even refuse to service any Toyota vehicle that is not bought from them or an authorised dealership in Africa.
Listern carefully. These jpnese cars come with european tyres designed snow weather. When a zedian buys a car from jap, he does not change tyres and when he hits 145 kez on a zedian hot tarmarc, the enivatable happens. Ban SALAULA TIRES
I totally agree with you ! Zambians have no respect for Human life look at the overloading that happens?
It’s the 1diot behind the wheel you should be concerned about bwana Soko. The cars are thorough tested before they are certified fit for the road.
Ban toyota spacio and van cargo as well.
stop the importation of used tyres and inferior quality new tyres from China.
Other than bad driving and excessive speed, the other major cause of accidents and subsequent loss of lives on Zambian roads are pot holes. What has RTSA done about this? NOTHING!!
How many lives have to be lost on Zambian roads before RTSA can take definitive action?
It clearly shows RATSA is out of touch with what is happing on the ground. The causes are simple and can be sorted out by them. Most of these taxies are owned by police officers and they are not subjected to checks. They are over loaded and in most cases they load over 11 people.
Then Altezza…
Please ban Altezza. This car is a danger. Most nincompoops who drive this vehicle believe they are in a race car and they speed and race on these pathetic Zambian roads.but anyone can see that it is a car of poor quality including the body itself.
“At least 90 per cent of those accidents are all as a result of human error,” Mr Soko said. “Some drivers … speed on a bad road, this behaviour is really bad.”……so why try and blame the Toyota Noah?
Zambia has some of the worst drivers in the world with no regard for human life. When you allow illiterate people to drive vehicles, it is a disaster waiting to happen.
Is this the same Zindaba Soko who beat up staff at CFBwhen his mother died?
It’s you bwana Soko who’s supposed to conduct research. These vehicles you’ve singled out are NOT for mulikuti per say, they are for families use, known as; “People carriers”.
Please recommend to the Government through your organisation that, your members need to employ bigger and better busses for their businesses. You should also try to travel outside zambia and see how other countries are managing this sector. That way, you could learn a thing or two on how to conduct such undertakings.
….l meant MALIFUTI..
RTSA, ZP are part of the problem. If a vehicle is overloaded what do you do? You arrest the driver. If the vehicle is over speeding you arrest the driver. But this is not the case- You only ask for a bribe. In fact most of these drivers have the police in their pockets. The first thing the offending driver will do is to give a new paper to the police at the so called road block and then discuss “business”.
I am surprised the government is asking Toyota to research; this should be done by Govt and not Toyota.
If 90% of the accidents are caused by human error, why waste time on investigating possible defects on Toyota Noah? Most accidents involving Toyota Noah are caused either by over speeding or over loading. Every car has it’s weaknesses and strengths. For instance, BMWs can move at high speed of 160 to 170 without vibrating or loosing balance. If I was to drive a Corolla at this speed, it will be suicidal. It is the responsibility of every driver to know what his or her car is able to do and it’s limitations. RTSA must do more to enforce the law against over speeding.
There was the Peugeot 505 Station Wagon run as taxis. That time the police were not corrupt so all bad drivers were put off the road except for Zimbweans who were very careful with these cars
I totally agree with you chisenga.It is the drivers themselves who should be careful.They have to know that a Noah is a light vehicle and so the drivers must limit the speeds and loads.Remember that accidents don’t just happen, they are always caused.
How can you ask a middle man to conduct a research?
The latest toyota hilux raider has poor braking system, the only explanation toyota zambia has given about it is ABS (auto braking system) is what makes noise as if brake pads are falling off. This vehicle has no emegerncy brake.
ABS stands for “anti-lock braking system”. Should have just said ABS and left it there if you don’t know what it means. Now everybody knows you are a quack.
It’s not Auto Braking System. This is the problem. You interpret this to mean the car will stop automatically regardless of the speed. ABS stands for Anti Lock break/ing System mean when you break at high speed the breaks don’t lock the wheels instead they hold and release several times to avoid skidding and overturning.
The problem is with Ratsa the organisation has employed corrupt officers who are busy selling Drivers licence to incompetent drivers.
Mr Zindaba Soko is related to Hon Mukanga. He was appointed through Nepotism.EL do something
Toyota Zambia does not have equipment and manpower to do that work. Even detecting a fault on the vehicle is far beyond what can be done. I have said so because on several occasions I have been disappointed. Take the same work to the road side mechanics it is done.
Useless research and waste of resources? @Jay Jay has hit the nail on head. Really why ask a middleman to conduct research? I also add that why ask the middleman who deals in same vehicle to conduct the research? Do you expect Toyota Zambia to ‘expunge’ themselves from business unless they don’t specially deal in Noahs. But from the wrong picture above that is a latest model of Noah/Voxy which they can deal in. Wrong picture since the Noah taxis are older 1996-2001 models not the one pictured above. Do authorised dealers do all the repairs or they subcontract smaller garages? In fact the report itself already has possible solutions human errors like overloading and overspeeding as causes. Why not just deal with that? I have driven 97 model Noah for trips over 1000 Km severally no…
Overloading, speeding, bad road surface, fraudulently licensed drivers – these should be the subject of the probe and not the Toyota Noah. A vehicle is a system and the biggest part of that system is the person operating it. If they do not follow what the vehicle prescribes (such as changing tyre ratings, for example as one blogger has pointed out) you cannot start blaming the vehicle. Isn’t this a classic case of a poor workman blaming his tools? Come on RTSA – besides, you also need to start concentrating on important things and not the absence of a reflective sticker and so-called Zambian-approved triangles on a car…
Requesting Toyota Zambia to investigate part of their global brand is like asking a father of a criminal to investigate his own son’s crime. This Soko man is at best deluded or at worst an imbecile who doesn’t know what he is doing and wants to create an impression he is doing something. Is this being serious about road safety? Do you expect Toyota Zambia, to seriously condemn their own mother company in Japan and say, yes, they have found serious defects with this make? If Soko is representative of the type of leadership we have in Zambia, then little wonder we have the road safety situation currently prevailing in the country. RATSA need a root and branch overall. This agency is failed and is failing the country with its treatment of road users as cash cows.
@15 mungule.
I totally agree with you, Zindaba is playing poker and doesn’t know his job. The causes of accidents on the Zambian roads do not require rocket science to uncover them. Zindaba must take the bull by its horns, why does he pretend?
Secondly i don’t blame over speeding, lack of discipline by most drivers cause accidents. Bus drivers chat too much with there conductors and are on cellphones talking to girl friends. Some of the culprits are postbus, euro Africa, powertools etc drivers.
Thirdly, most commuters don’t bath when traveling making it difficult for the driver to breathe nice fresh air to energise his lungs and the culprits are buses going to the eastern province- whooo! … whoo! pipo stink on these buses can easily tell one had a bath 2 months ago.
so you want them to do research on a car they dont make
Mr.Soko its not the vehicles that are a problem but our roads.Be realistic you will not be fired.
(1) Most of the brain washed Zambians think that Toyota is the only reliable and strong vehicle they should buy, truth is that is big lie, for some of us who understand motor vehicles, the name Toyota does not fit into the paper on which I work my car budget. Most Toyota owners don’t know what they miss in other models.
(2) Excitement by under five drivers with cars will wipe them off the roads, how have some of us managed driving for almost forty years on the same bad roads, without any accident?
Tell us instead of asking us a question when you are the one with a solution. How do you drive?
Its common knowledge, what is causing all this accidents is indiscipline and corruption, theirs too much indiscipline on the zambian roads. dont ask Toyota zambia to carry out the research when you know it very well that your officers are busy issuing drivers licenses to incompetent people, what do you expect on the road. let it be about your safety and the safety of other road users.
Not sure about the wisdom of asking interested part (Toyota) to conduct a research on the product to which they are part. May be the article is not well articulated???. However, there is no wisdom in asking interested part to research against itself. Zambia seems to leading the world on selphys, it is not long ago when a DPP took over the case in which he was the respondent and made judgement on himself. It is a dangerous path which leads to No where.
The cars are just fine. Its the drivers who are not in control of these cars.
90% human error. then do research on the human error and not the Noah
RTSA is so confused. First ‘our research indicate Noah committed too many accidents’..ooohh the accident was due to human error’. As if that is not being stupid enough, RTSA ‘ask’ Toyota to investigate. Why not consider an independent body to carry-out earo and mechanical test on the Noahs. Alabwafya pa Zambia
they do not work on internet buys, just showroom buys. They period of recalls mentioned is quite recent, we zedians buy models before those years
I still insist Noahs are good vehicles esp 97-2001 model rearpuller cos I own one for 3yrs & I know it -see @Neutral@13. I have driven it on many trips of over 1,000 Km without problems. In fact they are cheaper to maintain cos you do not need replace suspension parts as is case with front pullers esp CV-Joints. I am safety conscious so I do complete service every 6 months but I am always assured tyro-ends and ball joints are okay. They only change oil, plugs filters and only once stabilizer links. High incidence of accidents is also attributed to their high prevalence i.e. the more Noahs , the higher rate of accidents esp that most drivers are Kaponyas. Otherwise its a handy vehicle/self contained: @funerals its house for 3 & for sex maniacs its ‘hotel’. Pliz don’t be a bad…
Last sentence should read:
Pliz don’t be a bad carpenter who blames the tools.
Zindaba must be fired for gross enetia and incompetence.
Do not forget drivers who drive under the influence of ubwalwa. Breathlizers should be introduced when conducting road blocks. Some people brag that they drive better when under the influence.