With the increasing number of traffic police check points on city roads, bus drivers are complaining of being fined for passengers who ignorantly don’t wear seat-belts.
The commander of traffic Chief Supt Céléstin Twahirwa noted that up to now there’s no law that punishes passengers who don’t wear safety belts. “The driver is in charge of everything in his car which means he has the right to refuse to carry or kick-out an ignorant traveler,” he recommended.
According to a bus driver in the city Cassien Kamanzi, “I’ve been paying a fine of Frw 10,000 each to several commuters especially ladies who claim that the safety-belt will leave dirt on their cloths, just imagine that’s a mere excuse, they’ve forgotten the advantages of being safe in a vehicle,” he argued.
His counterpart Matayo Demokarasi agreed that drivers shouldn’t continue to suffer over a few passengers who are ignorant; instead the police should fine them in order for passengers to abide by road safety rules.
Passengers agree that commuters shouldn’t refuse to wear safety belts in order to punish the driver but rather wear the belt since it might protect them in case of an accident.
“To be realistic the belts are not that dirty, most of them are in good shape,” said a passenger on board towards Nyamirambo.
Louise Bamage a Rwandan driver residing in German told Igihe that in Frankfurt for instance a driver caught in a comparable offence is fined Euros 80, but if the passenger has a driving license they pay the fine instead of the driver.
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