An errant driver of Stella, a local travel agency, was yesterday detained for deadly driving behaviors and undermining the pleas by passengers.

Emmanuel Ndereyimana, according to eyewitnesses, who was driving along Kayonza-Kigali highway, survived accident on several occasions, either talking on the phone or texting.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kabanda, the spokesperson for the Traffic and Road Safety department, who confirmed the arrest, said that they received several calls from passengers and pedestrians about the driver and the vehicle, respectively.

"The driver, according to passengers, persistently kept on phone while using one hand to drive. Passengers requested him to leave the phone and concentrate on driving, he rudely disregarded them and even left one of the passengers, who was headed to Kigali, in Kayonza,” CIP Kabanda said.

"The passengers also took photos, which they sent to us through social media, to confirm their fears, and the driver was located and arrested,” he added.

He explained that Police have seen several accidents where drivers concentrate on handsets, lose control and kill people, the recent accident by Ritco bus, which killed three people is one of them.

"We can’t let these deadly behaviors continue, and we are happy that passengers have understood their rights to ensure their safety,” he noted.

Using a phone while driving is one of the major causes of fatal accidents, according to Police.

"If we are to effectively tackle this problem of risky behavior of drivers, we need the public to break silence and call us anytime they witness such. They have a right to get out of the vehicle if they fill their lives are in danger, and call the police.”

Last week, Rwanda National Police (RNP) launch a road safety campaign, with the week under review focusing mainly on pedestrians, the majority victims of road accidents, accounting for about 46 percent of fatal accidents recorded between August and October this year.

"The campaign will continue this week with focus on motorcyclists, followed by cyclists and vehicles in the following two weeks, respectively. We want everyone to know that ensuring road safety starts with an individual understanding and respecting road safety rules, and make it an individual role to report anyone that violates them,” said Kabanda.

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