Rwanda National Police

This year’s Rwanda National Police (RNP) road safety awareness exercise – Traffic Week – kicked off on Tuesday in Nyarugenge District in awake to further promote road security.

The week-long countrywide exercise started with the painting of a new Zebra Crossing at a hotspot along city centre-Nyabugogo road and putting stickers carrying road safety messages, on automobiles.

The 2013 Traffic Week comes at a time when road accidents are on the tremendous decrease, and it seeks to lower them further and to enforce road security in this festive season.

Road traffic accidents reduced by 34.9 percent this year to 507 cases registered (todate), down from 933 cases recorded last year.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Munyuza said the decrease was due to stringent measures that were initiated to enforce road security, include awareness, which improved the drivers’ discipline.

“We must bring them down even further next year,” DIGP Munyuza said.
He warned against drunk-driving, over speeding and careless driving, which are one of the major causes of accidents.

He also warned motorcycle operators against violating road safety regulations, resulting into injuries and loss of lives.

Majority of road traffic accidents recorded – 15% - he said, were caused by motorcycles.

He also disclosed that the traffic department is in the process of reducing the days of issuing driving licence to one day, down from two weeks currently. Others include establishing other five Motor vehicle Inspection Centres (MIC) to other parts of the country.

The mayor of the City of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba, who presided over the official launch of the exercise, thanked Rwanda National Police for initiating this annual life-saving exercise.

He appealed to road users, especially drivers to abide by the traffic rules, especially in this festive season to ensure accident-free festivities.

Ndayisaba said: “As we celebrate these festivities, everyone should put their safety forward; think about your life and that of others. Driving carefully should therefore be a prerequisite for one’s safety and that of others.”

He also called upon pedestrians to be vigilant while crossing the road, look at either sides before crossing and urged the general community to maintain public infrastructures.

The event was also attended by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of infrastructure, Christian Rwakunda, the mayor of Nyarugenge, senior police officers and other partners.

Rwakunda emphasized that “action should speak more than words.”