DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 15 -- THERE is a culture that must stop and let us be blunt: Our roads are becoming less of a journey and more of a gamble, especially at night.

A new and absurd driving habit is sweeping across our highways, one that defies all logic, common sense, and quite possibly, the training manuals from the National Institute of Transport (NIT).

It goes like this: A commuter or upcountry bus is speeding through the night.

Suddenly, upon seeing an approaching vehicle, the driver switches off the headlights. Complete darkness. Then, just as they pass, the lights come back on like a badly timed magic trick.

Is this a driving tactic? Or, dare we ask, something they actually teach in our driving schools now? Seriously, where did...