The government is set to introduce measures aimed at ensuring that motorists replace their current helmets with higher-quality safer ones, The New Times reports.
A source in the infrastructure ministry disclosed that the initiative will be a long-term endeavour, commencing with a campaign to educate motorists about the necessary standards for helmets.
As part of the initiative, Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) will acquire technology for assessing the quality of helmets used in the country.
According to the United Nations Safety Fund, globally, road crashes cause over one million preventable deaths and 50 million injuries each year. Unsafe roads have significant economic, social and health costs in low- and middle-income countries.
The fund is active in Rwanda, playing a key role in ensuring that helmets used are of good quality. Among the ways it is doing this is through putting in place efforts to build a foundation for a scalable helmet manufacturing industry that will produce a consistent supply of safe, affordable helmets to be exported across the continent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that Africa has the highest rate of road deaths at 26.6 deaths per 100,000 population and Rwanda has one of the highest rates at 29.7 road deaths per 100,000 population.
