Two-wheel motorcycles are easily knocked down when they get in contact with another automobile such as cars, which endangers the lives of the passengers they carry, the Special Guarantee Fund (SGF) has warned, calling for adopting three-wheel drive motorcycles. SGF says that 74.6 of recorded accidents cause by uninsured automobiles are cause by motorcycles Some passengers are excited at these two-wheeled motorcycles doing public transport commonly known as taxi-motos as they get them to their destination quickly, slithering through thick traffic but, Joseph Nzabonikuza, Director General of SGF, warns there is high risk they might get knocked and claim lives. “Currently, data shows that when a motorcycle falls, the passenger will most likely fracture their legs because there is no balance,” Nzabonikuza said. He made the observations on Monday, during a session in which the Senate's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security started meeting with different entities in line with understanding the actions meant for preventing and tackling traffic accidents. This exercise is being carried out after the Senatorial committee completed outreach tours in 12 districts of the country, to assess the state of road accidents and efforts intended to deal with them. SGF is a government insurance agency mandated to compensate victims of accidents and damages caused by uninsured and non-identified automobiles, and wild animals. In the last three fiscal years (2019-2020; 2020-2021; 2021-2022), the Special Guarantee Fund (SGF) said it paid over Rwf2.5 billion in compensations for 968 cases of victims of accidents caused by automobiles, which include motorcycles. These include over Rwf1.5 billion for 599 cases of victims of accidents caused by uninsured automobiles; and over Rwf1 billion for 370 cases of victims of accidents produced by unidentified vehicles (in a hit and run incidents). According to SGF, about 74.6 per cent of reported accidents were caused or involved by motorcycles. The accidents that were caused by uninsured vehicles for which the victims were compensated amounted to 135 in 2019-2020, and increased to 218 in 2020-2021, and 246 in 2021-2022. For non-identified vehicle accidents in question, they went up from 81 cases in 2019-2020 to 129 cases in 2020-2021, to 160 cases in 2021-2022. The Fund exposed that reported cases of accidents increased in 2021/2022, pointing out that the underlying factors might include the increase in the number of vehicles, yet roads did not increase in both width and quality (with some roads having many crosses). Other reasons include reduced uptake in insurance vehicles; and many motors on the road yet they do not have balance – they easily fall down in case of contact with another vehicle, or an obstacle. The need for three-wheel drive motorcycles Nzabonikuza said that there is a need to look at ways to increase the number of public buses, or having motorcycles that have greater balance. “You realise that in many other countries, they have developed motorcycles with balance such that when a car gets in contact with it, the passenger is not injured, or even if they are injured, it is minor injury,” he said. Such three-wheeled motorised taxi are commonly known as TukTuk in the neighbouring countries and in Asian countries like Thailand and India. “We realise that it is time to phase out these two-wheel drive motorcycles we use as a public transport means or motorcycle taxi, and have motorcycles that have three wheels,” he said, pointing out that they can help to reduce accidents. He said that the three-wheel motorcycles can have a well-covered carriage that can carry like four people, and can help to ensure the safety of passengers and the operator. Hadija Murangwa Ndangiza, Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security said that available traffic-related report data suggests that there are many road accidents that cause around 650 deaths a year, implying that on average, almost two people die every day. The senators’ countrywide tour, she said, was aimed at identifying the causes for accidents “and today, it was time to discuss with every concerned entity to see what it can do to contribute to tackling this problem.” She observed that the idea to adopt steady motorcycles, such as those with three, is laudable.
