Road safety still a challenge – Police

REFUSAL TO abide by traffic regulations and other safety-related offenses are increasingly threatening road safety in the country and have caused an increase in the number of road accidents, a top officer at the Rwanda National Police has said.The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, said the current threats to road safety include drunken driving, indiscipline and carelessness, over speeding, and driving without driving permits, among others.Gasana was speaking on Friday during a press conference held at the general headquarters of the Police in Kigali.He revealed that there were a total of 600 accidents, including 55 very serious ones that caused injuries and deaths in the last two months, attributing it to lack of professionalism.“A country like ours that is developing fast needs professionalism in all sectors…drivers and motorcyclists lack professionalism,’’ he said, adding that reckless drivers are disvaluing their profession.Another threat to road safety cited during the press conference is the case of some motorcyclists who opt to work during the night because they do not have driving licenses, using the night to violate traffic regulations, and often disobey when stopped by police officers.Asked about some police officers use force on motorcyclists, Gasana said using physical force is not allowed for traffic police officers.“They should instead know that the vehicle identification by writing its registration plate number for further pursuit. It is the best approach,” he said.Police also cited old or faulty mechanical state of the vehicles as one of the causes of accidents.On the issue of vehicles that delay in police custody, the Police Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety, Felly Bahizi Rutagerura, said the problem was a result of having only one Motor Inspection Centre which remains at the national level and has no branches in provinces.He said some measures are in place to prevent accidents, among them sensitisation of transporters and education of the general public about traffic rules and increasing operations and the number of traffic police officers.