English
Kinyarwanda
Special hire drivers have been cautioned against speeding and violation of crosswalks, putting lives of their passengers and pedestrians at risk.
While addressing special hire drivers operating in the City of Kigali on Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Administration for Traffic and Road Safety Department, observed that taxi-drivers are found of “speeding through pedestrian crosswalks and racing against time.”
“These behaviors should change, respect every roadside traffic signpost. Speeding through crosswalks not only denies pedestrians their rights but it puts their lives as risk as well. We want drivers, passengers and pedestrians to change their behaviors, respect traffic rules to avoid preventable fatalities,” ACP Ruyenzi said.
Senor Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khalid Kabasha, the Deputy Commissioner for Public Relations and Media, urged taxi-drivers not to driver under passenger’s pressure.
He also reminded passengers to always advise drivers to regulate their speed and not to use a phone when driving.
“We want to see a situation where passengers take part in road safety, advise their drivers whenever they violate traffic rules; a moment where the driver’s mind is only on the wheel respecting every road safety standard to arrive safely where you are going,” SSP Kabasha said.
He further encouraged them to share information on any driver they know or suspect to be abetting crimes like trafficking drugs and smuggling.
Some special hire vehicles have been intercepted trafficking narcotic drugs and smuggling goods.
The East African Community Management Act, which is used in Rwanda, especially in its article 199, the vehicle used in smuggling and the smuggled goods are auctioned. The driver is slapped a fine of US$5, 000.
On the other hand, any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances commits an offence, with a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison, and a fine between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
Jean Claude Kabanda, the head of UCOOPETAVOGA, a Union of special hires in Gasabo District, thanked Rwanda National Police for their continued efforts to educate and remind all road users how safe to use the road, respecting rights of their people.
“If we change our behaviors, we can actually reduce road fatalities to one digit. Most of the accidents are caused by speeding, impaired driving like using a phone, drunken driving or driving under the influence of drugs; we can make a big change if every road user decided to use the road sparingly bearing in mind that there are other road users,” Kabanda said.
The road safety campaign forms Week Four of the ongoing Police Month and falls within the year-long Gerayo Amahoro (Arrive Safely) campaign launched in May to influence behavioral change of all groups of road users.
