Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police (RNP) has warned careless drivers that they must respect driving rules and adhere to traffic signs or face prosecution for their actions or get their licenses suspended.

The call follows an incident on March 27 in Kirehe District, when a Toyota Coaster collided with a Scania Truck coming from a neighboring country.

Four passengers from both vehicles luckily escaped with their lives and were rushed to Kirehe Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

According to Police investigations, the accident was caused by recklessness of the truck driver, who was over speeding in a narrow road and also tried to overtake without clear view of what was ahead.

“Driving a vehicle without due care or attention is a sign of reckless driving that puts all other road users at risk of fatal accidents. Rwanda National Police has implemented strong efforts to curb accidents on roads through the deployment of traffic police personnel on every road in the country, but careless drivers continue to undermine these efforts,” Chief Inspector Emmanuel Kabanda, Police Spokesperson for Traffic and Road Safety said.

“Most road accidents are avoidable and are due to bad driving habits and carelessness such as driving while distracted, driving aggressively and failing to inspect vehicles for mechanical problems. Many times, even pedestrians cross the roads carelessly, and this single act can cause a devastating accident.”

In a bid to curb this scourge, Police has conducted campaigns countrywide which have led to the arrest of individuals who make or use counterfeit driving licenses to access roads and increase risks of accidents.

“Those who use counterfeit licenses have either failed to qualify for legitimate driving licenses or are not skilled enough to handle vehicles. That is why Police calls upon all prospective drivers to go through the process of acquiring driving licenses, which are issued only by Rwanda National Police,” he added.

In a bid to ease the process of acquiring driving permits, Police conducts driving license tests in private driving schools on monthly basis, introduced online registration and provides timely online feedback, among other initiatives. The public tests are conducted quarterly.

A driving license is issued within 14 days after a prospective candidate has provided all required documents.