English
Kinyarwanda
The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) has launched a week-long road safety awareness campaign in Rwanda to further influence behavior change among motorists and pedestrians.
The campaign that will be conducted in different parts of the country, started on Monday, September 23, in Kigali, reinforces the existing Gerayo Amahoro road safety campaign to promote safe driving, encourage proper vehicle maintenance, and to foster the culture of responsible driving.
It is held under the theme: "Think safety. Take your rest. Arrive alive. Gerayo Amahoro."
The Northern Corridor bring together six regional countries, namely, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is a multimodal trade route that links landlocked countries of the Great Lakes region with Kenya's seas port of Mombasa.
Dr. John Deng Diar Diing, the executive secretary of the NCTTCA, said that road accidents along the Northern Corridor are mainly caused by long driving with no rest, poor road network and policies, and reckless road usage.
"Rwanda has the lowest rate of road accidents in the region due to its strict policies and enforcement.
We have recommended that other countries to learn from Rwanda, which has strong road safety policies and enforcement, including Gerayo Amahoro campaign. We want drivers, taxi-moto operators, passengers and pedestrians to leave their homes and go back safely," Dr. Deng said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the spokesperson for Traffic and Road Safety department, said that 80 percent of accidents on Rwandan roads are caused by careless human behaviors.
He added that despite the reduction in road accidents, there are still lives being lost at the hands of reckless road users, especially motorists.
"No single life should be lost; we need roads where drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians respect each other's rights and observe traffic rules and regulations as a choice and culture," SP Kayigi said.
