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Kinyarwanda
The national road safety campaign dubbed 'Gerayo Amahoro' was resumed on Friday, September 30, when Traffic Police officers reminded motorists to avoid violations that may result into accidents.
The campaign resumed on the roads of City of Kigali and will be extended to all parts of the country.
Gerayo amahoro campaign was first launched on May 13, 2019, but was halted on the 46th week when COVID-19 broke out in the country.
ACP Teddy Ruyenzi, the Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Administration in the department of Traffic and Road Safety, said that after six months of intensified efforts in fighting Coronavirus, it is evident that people’s zeal to safely use roads has decreased.
She said it is high time the police reminds road users on the disciplines of road usage; harmony, and avoiding mistakes and behaviours that could lead to road accidents.
“We started with motorists, educating and reminding them how to safely drive on a two-lane-same-direction road; that one must drive on the right lane, and only use the left when they are overtaking a slower motorist, but they must then return to the right lane. This is advisable because it helps everyone to drive on their speed without hardships or affecting traffic flow,” ACP Ruyenzi.
She also explained that motorists are being further informed on how to drive at intersections, roundabouts, how to use their head-lights, as well the necessity to respect pedestrian crossing zones.
“We also remind motorists that when they reach roundabouts, they must give priority to those already in the roundabout. We are also looking at safe overtaking and regulating speed, one of the major causes of fatal accidents," she added.
“For lights, motorists should use high beam only when they are in the dark, and low beam when there is light. When one uses the high, the other drivers might lose sight and this could cause serious accidents,” ACP Ruyenzi further explained.
She also condemned motorists who do not give way for pedestrians especially in their crossing zones.
“Motorists should respect pedestrians’ rights. All vehicles must reduce their speed when they approach pedestrian crossing zones.
We have started with these key points because they are evidently the most violated and in the process making them some of major causes of accidents.
Most of these accidents were due to overspeeding and motorist redundancy.
Motorists are urged to avoid mistakes and inappropriate road usage for their own good and the safety of other road users. They are also encouraged to avoid being penalised for preventable reckless and risky behaviours, which now can be detected by the new road technology.
