Lawmakers have raised concerns over a provision in the road traffic bill that allows authorities to impound vehicles driven by motorists found guilty of drink-driving, arguing that it could unfairly punish vehicle owners and disrupt businesses.

The debate arose during a plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies on December 29, as MPs began voting on the draft law governing road traffic.

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Under the bill, vehicle impoundment is defined as a decision taken by the head of the department in charge of road safety to park a vehicle in a designated place to ensure road safety, until it is either returned to its owner or auctioned.

The bill states that a vehicle may be impounded if the driver’s blood alcohol content exceeds the legal limit of 0.80 grammes per litre of blood – which is considered drink-driving threshold. It further authorises investigators of road traffic offences or qualified agents to order alcohol testing whenever necessary to ensure road safety, using approved testing equipment.

MP Christine Mukabunani argued that impounding a vehicle because a driver was drunk is inappropriate, as the offence is committed by an individual rather than the vehicle itself. In some cases, she said, the driver is not the owner of the vehicle.

"If a driver commits this offence and the vehicle is impounded while it was being used for business, the owner is unfairly punished,” she said.

"The person should be detained or given other penalties, but the vehicle should return to work. In my view, punishing both the person and the vehicle they were driving is not right.”

MP Pie Nizeyimana said that even when impounding a vehicle may sometimes be justified to secure evidence, such as collecting alcohol bottles found inside a car and photographing it, the practice of holding it for nearly a week or longer is questionable.

"In some cases, a vehicle is the source of livelihood for other families,” he said. "There should be clear guidelines. Even if a vehicle is impounded to secure evidence, it should not exceed 24 hours. By then, evidence such as photographs or bottles should already have been collected.”

MP Théogène Munyangeyo urged lawmakers to recognise that some vehicles operate as part of businesses, such as car hire services and logistics companies.

"We are dealing with business,” he said. "Someone can arrive at the airport, pay by card and hire a vehicle. If that person drinks and is arrested, punish the driver, not the vehicle. The company that owns the vehicle may have no connection with the driver.”

He added that the same logic should apply to commercial transport.

"If a driver transporting construction materials from Kigali to Nyagatare is found drunk in Kayonza, arrest the driver and collect the evidence, but do not stop other people’s construction project,” he said.

"We should enforce responsibility without destroying businesses, especially in a developing country like Rwanda.”

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Responding to the concerns, the Minister of Infrastructure, Jimmy Gasore, said drink driving remains a serious national problem that continues to claim lives and therefore requires firm measures.

"We have agreed as Rwandans that this is a serious problem that is killing people, and a serious problem requires a serious solution,” he said.

"While a vehicle may support a family, the person who dies in an accident caused by a drunk driver may also have been supporting a family and could have been the only income-earner.”

Gasore said the potential impact on families is intended to place additional pressure on drivers to act responsibly.

"This is a conscious decision someone makes—to drink and then drive. Drink driving is a serious issue that needs strong measures if we are to eliminate it,” he said.

He added that past experience has shown police have been fighting this problem for the past four or five years, using fines, imprisonment and vehicle impoundment and that a combination of penalties works relatively better.

"This combination has produced some results, even if they are still insufficient. Relaxing existing measures would only worsen the problem rather than solve it,” he said.

Data from Rwanda National Police shows that in 2024-2025, more than 409,000 drivers were fined for speed limit violations, 94,843 for distracted driving (such as through using a mobile phone), while 9,169 were arrested for driving under influence (of alcohol).