Study:To harmonise or not Rwandans will have to wait longer to know whether they are allowed to import right hand drive vehicles in the country or not.Officials say the final decision is subject to a pending study on the issue.The study will look into the potential economic benefit or opportunity cost of allowing such cars in the country or not.In Rwanda and Burundi, traffic keeps right, as opposed to their three other East African Community (EAC) Partner States of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.Yet Kigali is mulling over a possibility of allowing right-hand drive vehicles on the country’s roads. The ban on right-hand drive cars is thought to have a direct bearing on the cost of cars in the country.Burundi allows both right and left-hand drive cards on its roads.In left hand drive cars, the driving seat is placed on the side of the car closest to the road’s central line. This gives the driver the longest possible line of sight in traffic. But it is feared that the opposite positioning of the driver’s seat, as in right hand drive cars, would cause road accidents. In other EAC countries [apart from Burundi], right hand drive vehicles are accepted and they all keep left. Dr. Alexis Nzahabwanimana, the state minister in charge of transport, yesterday told The New Times that the decision delayed because government wants to come up with the best decision. “This is a very important issue. It involves making a big decision and we have advertised for a consultant to do a study. The procurement process is ongoing,” the minister said.“We have to know the actual advantages and disadvantages in this. We need to get a scientific recommendation on the basis of how much it will cost, either way, so that we make the best decision,” he added.According to him, apart from serious road safety implications, there are possible cost implications to changing the current traffic flow.“We are balancing everything – the possible gains and the costs involved. And this can only be done appropriately after the study is completed and proper recommendations given.”Nzahabwanimana’s clarification comes a day after MP Theobald Mporanyi, Monday requested EAC Affairs Minister Monique Mukaruliza for an update on the pending study.EAC partner states are studying ways of harmonising traffic rules and regulations, among other things. “The issue of right-hand drive vehicles has not yet been concluded because there is a study the Ministry of Infrastructure must conduct first. This study has not been finalised and I think that is what will be based on for a decision on whether we can allow these vehicles to enter,” Mukaruliza told Parliament.A 2005 presidential decree outlawed their importation but the four-year grace period given at the time has expired even though a clampdown by Police and Revenue authorities remains.“No one can get a number plate for a right hand drive vehicle because we are restricting their entry. But if they do enter, it is only in the case of diplomats,” Richard Tushabe, the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Deputy Commissioner General, said.“I don’t want to preempt the findings of the study neither can I put a figure on the money we are losing. But it is clear that you cannot compare money with the loss of life from possible accidents if they were allowed in.”Worldwide, a country normally specifies whether traffic will keep on the right-hand or left-hand side of the road. This road rule eases traffic flow and reduces the risk of head-on collisions. It is estimated that about 72 per cent of the world’s total road distance carries traffic on the right, while only 28 per cent is on the left.
