English
Kinyarwanda
Despite Police efforts to curb accidents on roads through the deployment of traffic police personnel on every road in the country, accidents continue to happen.
Although not on a large scale, the accidents that happen are still a menace and lead to loss of lives and property, simply because of negligence and lack of observing traffic regulation.
Two events were recorded on January 27, when in Nyarugenge District, motorcyclists carrying a passenger skid off the road and fell into a trench. Both individuals sustained serious injuries and were evacuated to CHUK for treatment.
The second incident was more fatal. It happened in Ruhango District, where a Fuso truck skid and overturned, killing one man on the spot and seriously injuring the driver, who was rushed to Gitwe Hospital for treatment.
Both accidents were avoidable, according to CIP Emmanuel Kabanda, the Spokesperson for Traffic and Road Safety, who blamed them on careless driving and poor mechanical conditions for the vehicles.
“Road accidents are preventable if drivers follow the prevailing traffic rules and regulations. Drivers and motorists must pay attention and focus on the road instead of talking on phones while driving. They should also take their vehicles and motorcycles for inspection, rather than waiting for such accidents to occur,” CIP Kabanda said.
To deal with the problem of road accidents, traffic police employs diverse strategies including speed radars that detect over speeding vehicles, Alcohol tests used to detect drunk drivers, Traffic Police check points and many more.
Rwanda National Police conducts a traffic week every year, through which it conducts sensitization urging all road users to contribute towards the reduction of road accidents.
Between August and September, last year, road accident death toll stood at 113 with 662 injuries. However, they dropped between October and November with the number of deaths coming down to 74 (representing a 34 per cent reduction) while injuries stood at 511, representing a 22.8 per cent drop.
