Road indicators most ignored safety feature

Most drivers usually don’t value the precaution of road reflectors imbedded in roads, which has been one of the major causes of road accidents especially during stormy weather, officers at the Rwanda National Police have said. The reflective solar powered road studs rely on lighting from the headlight beams of the approaching vehicle and become effective to a distance of up to 90 meters. The road lighting facilities termed as ‘cat’s eyes’ light up the motorway lanes of Kigali streets but many drivers ignore their usage. The solar-powered studs’ brightness is boosted by their own internal batteries which are topped up by sunshine and most daylight conditions. “I usually see the reflective lighting equipment on the road but I haven’t clearly observed their importance, I just drive over them,” said Marick Sibomana, 37, a taxi driver. About 4000 solar-powered devices have been installed along the 220 kilometre motorway within the city, according to Kigali City authorities. Jean Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, the spokesperson of the Rwanda National Police traffic and road safety, says that the devices were introduced as one of the measures to curb down road accidents. “Drivers should know that, the solar powered road reflectors are not for decoration but to help them get clear vision of the lane they are taking especially at night or during fog and rainy weather,” he noted. He cautioned drivers against driving over and destroying them, which he said is a major traffic offence. “The devices provide greater lighting of the lanes and contribute to road safety, especially at night. I think by now drivers should already have noticed the difference,” he said. Some of the solar powered studs are placed in the middle of the road between lanes, others on the edge of the road to differentiate between motorist highways and that of pedestrians. Ndushabandi stated that plans were underway to mark the highways with road reflecting devices. He observed that the poor visibility is a recipe for disaster, collisions and in the worst case scenario, fatalities. Even in poor weather conditions where road markings are less visible, the reflectors continue to shine brightly, guiding motorists safely. According to traffic police report, released in January, 308 lives were lost last year in road accidents, a reduction of 21 percent from 392 that were registered in 2011. Between January to February, about 600 accidents were recorded. Of these, 75 were fatal. The Global Status Report on Road Safety for 2012-2013 says the risk of dying from traffic injuries is highest in Africa compared to other parts of the world. The African continent recorded an average of 24.1 out of 100,000 people dying as a result of road accidents in a year, figuring out that in a country of 10 million people, 2,400 die on the roads every year. The Rwandan police have put in place different mechanisms to reduce road accidents such as the use of alcohol testing devises to test motorists who drive while drunk, introduction of speed radars and increasing the number of traffic officers on the roads.