The Gambia: A Euro Rubbish-Car Dump?

Charities can be an excellent way of raising funds and, in some instances, a way of having fun at the same time - but are the outcomes always what we want or need? Some time ago, I raised concerns with the organisers of the Plymouth to Banjul Rally about the standard of vehicles that are used and, ultimately, sold in The Gambia to raise funds for various organisations. There are also Rallies from other countries - their aims being the same, raise money and have fun.

The rules of some rallies state that the cars must be purchased for a set amount – usually less than £100 sterling (about 4,000 Dalasi) – and this helps to keep the prices down when the vehicles are sold in The Gambia or other parts of Africa. It has to be accepted that many people could not afford a car that would cost three to four thousand pounds in the United Kingdom (between 120,000 and 160,000 Dalasi) to use in a rally and it would certainly be too expensive for people here to buy it. The rules also set a limit on how much money may be spent on ensuring that the vehicle is capable of making the trip from the United Kingdom to Banjul.

The UK has very strict rules laid down by the Government relating to Vehicle Safety Standards; each year, every car over three years old and all commercial vehicles must undergo a tough Ministry of Transport (MOT) Test to ensure that they meet those Standards.

So what happens if they fail? Obviously some will be repaired and pass on re-inspection but many fail. So what happens to these failures; do they all end up in a scrap yard? Some do but not all - but is what happens next either advisable or ethical?

Don’t misunderstand me, the cars that come on the Rally are supposed to be in a roadworthy condition and, legally, should have a Test Certificate to be used on British roads. But we all know that rules are made to be bent or, in some cases, broken. I am assured by the organisers that their standards to ensure the safety of the vehicles and crews must be met.

The vehicles are also checked when they get here – well that’s what I have been told – but, having seen some of the vehicles arriving here, I have some doubts.

Having been a member of the British Institute of Road Transport Engineers since 1985, I have extensive knowledge of vehicles and vehicle safety.

Many of the vehicles in this country would not pass even the most cursory inspection in Europe and would be banished from the roads - but they still have a value; at least they do to the people who make a business out of buying MOT failures (or the European equivalent) and shipping them to the African Continent where rules are not so stringent and Vehicle Testing is in its infancy - that’s if it exists at all. The Gambia has started testing vehicles but there are limitations; make the test too severe and many vehicles would be condemned to the scrap yard - if there were any - and the country would grind to a halt. That would benefit no-one but somehow we must start raising standards.

This year saw the first vehicle tests carried out by The Gambia Police Force; it was a simple test by anyone’s standards but it was a step in a direction that must not be changed and it must become more stringent as the years pass. Unsafe vehicles are a danger to everyone; sadly we see the evidence of poor quality vehicles and poor maintenance at the side of the road in a tangled mess. In some cases, it has cost the lives of the men, women or children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This cannot be acceptable and the roads must be made safer - but how can we move forward without bringing transport to a grinding halt?

Every day, I see lorries with bald tyres, poor or inadequate braking systems, broken windscreens, no wing or interior mirrors - and numerous other serious faults - being used to move goods and people around the Country. Sadly, many of the drivers have no idea about the rules of the road and believe that speed and size will ensure that other drivers move out of their way – or else.

The public transport system relies on Gele-Geles to move people and goods around The Gambia; I wonder if people realise just how dangerous some of these vehicles are and the risks they take as passengers. I have a wonderful photograph of a passenger-carrying vehicle in Sifoe that lost its rear axle complete with wheels whilst carrying passengers; fortunately no one was hurt but it could have been very different. That vehicle is now back on the road but I question the level of expertise of the people who carried out the repairs and the quality of the workmanship. Have you ever tried to pass a lorry that has a damaged chassis? It cannot run in a straight line and the driver has to fight to make it stay on the correct side of the road.

Such vehicles would be removed from European roads never to be used again - that is until an unscrupulous trader buys it at a knock-down price and exports it to Africa it to sell to an unsuspecting driver. We have all seen vehicles belching black smoke that are dangerous to pass – these would be removed from European roads as they would fail the Smoke Emission Standards. I often wonder if the drivers of such vehicles consider how much fuel they are wasting and the extra costs to them and the environment – or don’t they worry about that? So how can we change things to make life on the roads safer for all? It will take time and effort - of that there is little doubt. The Police have a major role to play and the Vehicle Inspection Team has to be strengthened and trained to spot potentially dangerous vehicles.

Any vehicle being imported must be examined and meet standards that need to be determined as a matter of urgency and brought into law. If dangerous vehicles have been imported, the person who imported it has to either repair it to a suitable standard or the vehicle has to be returned to its country of origin – the cost being borne by the importer. This would ensure that a better quality of vehicle was imported.

It has been suggested that any vehicle over five years old should not be imported but this has major repercussions. Many modern vehicles have complex onboard computer management systems for the engines but, as yet, we lack the expertise and equipment in The Gambia to test such systems – unless, of course, you go to the major vehicle dealers who do have capable technicians and equipment to interrogate such a system but at a price that many motorists could not afford.

The rally organisers could rethink their aims and bring in vehicles that have the most impact on people’s lives so that they may travel about the country more safely; it will take time but it is possible. I suggested to the organisers of the Plymouth/Banjul Rally that they changed the rules and made it compulsory to bring small passenger-carrying vehicles, such as the Ford Transit (that is universally available and has parts availability worldwide).

These should be fitted with passenger seats and safety belts and come close to meeting the present legislation in Europe. This would obviously mean that more would have to be spent on the vehicles. To enable this, teams may need to be larger and the number of participating vehicles may need to be reduced.

The teams may need to be larger to raise the required funds and purchase more expensive vehicles but they could all participate in the Rally as there would be at least ten seats for passengers who could make the journey and have the pleasure of visiting this country.

More importantly, these vehicles could then be used to replace the worst Gele-Geles on the roads here; these dangerous vehicles should then cut up and destroyed to ensure they could never used again, not even for spare parts. Thought would need to be given as to how these rally vehicles would be managed and maintained to ensure that they continued to run in a safe and efficient manner.

There are organisations that wish to help raise vehicle and driving standards in Continental Africa; one being Transaid.org who could assist in developing such a management system. Issues have already been raised with the organisers of various rallies to ensure that reasonable standards are met and that the vehicles arriving in Africa are not End-of-Life vehicles from Europe entering Africa comparatively easily to begin a new lease of life. In some countries, such as Senegal, rally vehicles that break down cannot be left; in fact, some countries do not allow rallies to terminate on their soil.

I would hope that rally organisers would change the existing rules and ensure that the benefits to the Gambian transport system are in line with a standard that would be acceptable in their own countries. As a matter of urgency, we must raise Gambian vehicle and driving standards; we cannot allow people to be killed or injured by vehicles that have no right to be on the roads of this country or drivers that have scant regard for traffic laws.

David Beardsley (Retired Vehicle Engineer); Panellist - GRTS Traffic Talk