Safety of road users is priority

The Minister of State in charge of Transport announced that the government will conduct research on whether the country should maintain the current traffic policy or change it to correspond with other members of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States. Motorists are required to keep right while in Rwanda and Burundi, but switch to the left side once in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Right-hand drive vehicles cannot get local registration plates in Rwanda, a policy that was put in place to help prevent road accidents, among other reasons. The policy has been largely blamed for the relative high costs of vehicles in the country when compared to the other EAC members.Vehicles built for the right hand drive systems have a comparatively low market due to the fact that fewer countries apply right hand drive system, making them more costly in the region.This, coupled with the harmonisation within EAC member states has led to calls for the revision of the policy. Officials say the study will include a cost-benefit analysis of either system, and draw recommendations upon which the government would make an informed decision.It is important that the proposed study extensively looks into the implications of change in the policy. The safety of road users must remain the priority.The study should not only look at the economic implications, both in terms of tax revenues and individuals’ capacity to own cars, but also the risks involved in overhauling the country’s driving system.

Opinions

Safety of road users is priority