Rwanda National Police

The national road safety campaign dubbed ‘Gerayo Amahoro’ continued this Monday with focus on owners and drivers of transit trucks.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Emmanuel Karasi, while addressing drivers at Magerwa in Gikondo Sector, Kicukiro District, told them that Gerayo Amahoro is meant to guarantee their lives as drivers and every road user.

“You don’t have to wait for the Police to tell you that high speed, abusing drugs, alcohol or using a phone while driving kills,” ACP Karasi said.

“When you drink don’t drive because it’s suicide; don’t drive under stress… rest and resume the journey while fresh,” he added.

He challenged them to go beyond traffic rules and regulations to having positive driving minds especially in unusual situations and to avoid reckless overtaking.

Fazil Murangira, who heads an association of truck drivers, observed that some of their members disregard traffic rules and regulations, and urged them to “value your lives and know that there are other people using the same road.”

“Good enough, we are here today as drivers from different countries, we don’t have to be defined by bad conduct and accidents on road; this is a job that supports us and our families which we should value, and that means we have to be safe whenever we are on road, refrain from using drugs, overtaking in corners,” Murangira said.

He observed that such fatal accidents have consequences to families and destroys infrastructures, which is a blow to development.

According to Murangira, they have taken measures including dismissing a member found driving while drunk.

Jean Pierre Uwizeye, the external communication officer of Bralirwa said that going on the wheel while drunk kills.

“You cannot be able to drive when alcohol test exceeds 0.8 percent, because at that level alcohol is in controls,” Uwizeye said