Felix Namuhoranye, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Operations, has challenged government travel agency owners to engage in driver leadership to avoid deaths on the highway that are mainly the consequence of driver behaviour.
Namuhoranye produced the call on Thursday while opening the one- day road safety training for local travel agency owners and executives at the Rwandan National Police (RNP) headquarters in Kacyiru.
This was the third batch to benefit from the same training in the City of Kigali, which is designed to complement the ongoing national road safety campaign towards behavioral change and safe road use.
The first two training sessions benefited travel agency activities and logistics executives.
Training for activities and logistics executives has also been performed in the Eastern Province this week and will be expanded to all provinces.
The Deputy Police Chief said the state has invested a lot in preventing road accidents, but transportation company owners and senior executives should feel the main obligation to take safety precautions.
“We are increasing mechanical inspection centers from one to four in different parts of the country, and they will start operating soon; we are installing CCTV cameras and enforcement of speed governors, but without your ownership and partnership, all this will not have the desired impact. Drivers have many ways to cheat or bypass systems, and these are behaviours that put lives of people at risk, which we should fight together,” DIGP Namuhoranye said.
In relation to the Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (MIC) in Kigali and the mobile facility, more centers are being built in the districts of Huye, Musanze and Rwamagana to expand facilities closer to individuals and further facilitate access to vehicle inspection facilities
The Remera-based MIC and the Mobile Inspection Lane currently have the ability to serve about 800 cars a day.
Namuhoranye stressed that management has a main role to play in altering driver behaviors
“We are doing many things but they can’t replace leadership. You are the owners of these vehicles, the behaviour of your employees is your responsibility.”
He observed that accidents should only be called “accidents” in the event of natural disasters, otherwise most of them are “predictable and avoidable” if riders obey traffic rules and regulations and alter their behavior on the highway.
“When speed governor devices are installed in your vehicles and a driver decides to disconnect them just to exceed speed limits, and in due course they get involved in an accident, will that be called an accident? When a driver drinks and drives, should it be called an accident when it occurs?” DIGP Namuhoranye challenged the transporters.
“We urge you to intensify the monitoring, inspection and control of your vehicles, drivers and other staff, appreciate drivers who work professionally and take action to those who do not comply with the rules and regulations. Drivers involved in drunk driving, tampering with speed governors and use the phone while driving should be held responsible; ensure your drivers have enough time to rest to prevent likely accidents that result from accumulated stress.”
Theoneste Mwungutsi, chairman of ATPR, the association of local transporters, said they are dedicated to changing human habits by applying what they have learned.
“We thank Rwanda National Police for this training, we have to take the message to our fellow leaders and drivers, and even our passengers to ensure sustainable road safety,” Mwungutsi said.
Godfrey Nkusi, Managing Director of Rwanda Interlink Transport Company Limited (RITCO), also noted that rulers and owners of transport businesses should be careful about road safety through education, vehicle maintenance, improving the welfare of their drivers and monitoring their discipline.
The one-day training was in line with a 52- week domestic road safety campaign dubbed Gerayo Amahoro aimed at behavioral change for all groups of road users to avoid road carnage.
