The World Health Organization (WHO) placed Rwanda among the first six countries in the world that have implemented measures to combat and prevent road accidents.
It is mentioned in a report made by the World Health Organization in 166 countries, which aimed to show the picture of road safety in the last year, 2023.
According to the World Health Organization, road accidents have decreased by 5% compared to the report published in 2010, which shows that road accidents amount to 1.25 million. However, the United Nations and its partners have goals of reducing road accidents at a rate of 50% by 2030.
According to the WHO Report, 166 countries in the world have implemented measures and laws to prevent accidents. Only 48, including Rwanda, have implemented laws that meet the requirements of the World Health Organization.
Rwanda is commended for the measures it has put in place to fight and prevent road accidents, which include reducing the speed of vehicles with the help of Speed Governor technology that controls the speed that the vehicle should not exceed. The country also uses Road Cameras, which Rwandans call “Sophia”.
These are not the only measures, as the Government of Rwanda has established a law that prohibits drivers from carrying passengers in cars that exceed the number of seats available, wearing seat belts while driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
All these measures have reduced accidents significantly. Before 2020, every night between 100-150 drivers were caught driving vehicles while drinking alcohol, but now it is only 10-12 according to the Rwanda Traffic Police.