If you are planning to acquire a driver’s license, you will need to set aside time and take lessons at a recognised driving school following plans by Police’s Traffic and Road Safety unit to tighten the process of getting a driver’s permit.

The move is aimed at reducing and preventing road accidents, according to Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety George Rumanzi. Police say to qualify for the final driving test one must have a certificate from a recognised driving school attesting that they adequately undertook driving lessons.

Already, Rwanda National Police has worked on a proposal seeking to amend traffic rules and regulations to that effect. Police say this approach will discourage those who want to drive without understanding the responsibility that comes with it.

Considering the recent trend of road accidents, the latest development should be supported by all stakeholders, especially driving schools, aspiring motorists and the general public. Those who claim they do not have time to take driving lessons should hire qualified drivers or shelve plans to buy private cars.

Tightening guidelines for acquiring driver’s permit will serve the common good – lives will be saved, and medical bills and other costs that would have been borne by families and country as a result of accidents slashed. Police figures indicate that 24,342 people were involved in road accidents between January and September last year, in which 166 lives were lost while 1,947 people sustained serious injuries. 

It is important that we all support the Traffic and Road Safety department’s efforts to ensure that only those that qualify to drive do so to help prevent road accidents and save lives.