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Veta’s innovation to avert car theft, improve safety
What you need to know:
- The new system will not only ensure the safety of motorists and passengers, but it will also reduce incidents of motor vehicle theft, especially hose taking place in traffic jams.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzanians are now assured of their security and that of their cars, thanks to an auto electrical model system developed by the Vocational Education Training Authority (Veta).
The innovation enables a car’s security alarm to go off if somebody other than the owner tries to start it and prevents it from starting if the doors are not properly closed.
Songea-based Veta instructor Andrew Shayo said the institution has designed several security features for vehicles, including an alarm system that activates during theft and prevents the car from starting if seatbelts are worn but the doors are not locked.
"We came up with this innovation to control the habit of people starting their cars before closing the doors, which is dangerous," Mr Shayo said.
According to him, the auto electrical model system is also used in training students in the field of automotive electronics at the Songea college.
Speaking at the ongoing Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair yesterday, Mr Shayo said the innovation aims to prevent the effects that may occur if the car key is activated before the doors are closed.
“If the doors are not locked, the system alerts the driver and shows the number of the exact door, and the car will not start.” This, according to Mr Shayo enables the driver to make sure all the doors are properly closed before driving off.
Besides the vehicle’s lights turning on if the doors are not closed properly, they also turn off when any of the doors is opened, a sign that it is not safe.
"The system can also be used in passenger buses to help identify which passengers are not wearing their seat belts. If someone is not wearing a seat belt, the driver is given a signal about the number of the seat belt that is not worn, making tracking easier for drivers," said Mr Shayo.
In terms of controlling car theft using genuine ignition keys, he said the security alarm system sets off the siren when a stranger inserts the key to start the vehicle.
If, for example, a car is stolen by the owner’s child or a thief, the security alarm would go off and wouldn’t stop even if the perpetrator removed the key. It would only go off after the owner turned off the security switch.
“This will help improve security because drivers will have to close the car doors and lock them to make sure nothing bad happens to them because there has been a tendency for thieves to attack drivers and steal their cars when they open the doors in traffic jams,” he said.
Some visitors to the exhibition said the innovation will help prevent accidents, particularly for small children.
"The security system will be very useful in school vans with seat belts to ensure our children are safe on the road," said Roda Mselemu, a resident of Mtoni Kijichi in Dar es Salaam.
Mariam Khamis said such beneficial innovations should be looked into quickly so that they can help, and if possible, people should be forced to install them in their cars to improve safety.
“If every car in the country is fitted with this system, we will not hear of people driving cars with unlocked doors or have cases of people falling out of cars and getting hurt. Neither will we hear of car theft. It’s going to be of great help.”
