Motoring corner With Carlover

“Drinking and Driving” Of recent, the Traffic Police has intensified their hunt for drunken drivers. As the common saying, “Alcohol and Motor vehicles don’t mix”; if you must drink, drink to the accepted levels or else, you will be arrested and charged with “drunken driving” commonly known as “gutwara imodoka usomyeho” (driving after having a sip). Don’t ask me as to the allowed quantity of the sip, either you avoid them by not “sipping” or by “sipping and not driving”! Particularly, as we get closer and closer to the end of the year, many people get into the festive mood such that, some of them even fall overboard to the extent of consuming what they themselves cannot believe they did! I am not superstitious but facts show that, the end of year is normally a period with lots of accidents, mainly for the reason mentioned above. Many people want to believe that, the year does not end just like that, that, it should “eat” some people in order for it to end! Joy and sadness are two faces of the same coin, over indulging in the former can lead to the latter! It is in that respect that, we at Motoring corner feel that, we must educate the driving community on the potential harm, death and fines that linger in their way unless they choose to exercise maximum discipline and restraint while they are on the road. As a matter of fact, those of you who thought that, the “infamous breathalyzers” had gone off the roads for good, you are mistaken; they are back on the roads in full swing! If you must drink, drink responsibly by either drinking what is enough or, if you have drunk too much, do not drive in that state. It is much easier to park your vehicle at the bar and take a taxi home or simply hire a sober driver to drive you home. All the two options are easy and cheap! As the common saying, “if you think Safety is Expensive, Try an Accident”! Imagine spending about RWF50, 000 on drinks and refusing to part with a paltry RWF10,000 for a special hire and then ending up in a road accident that could cost you your life or the lives of others or permanent disabilities to you or to others or a month or so in a Hospital bed or others in that condition! What about your dependants or the dependants of others? Stop and think, is it worth all that? I don’t think so; the best we can all do is to have duty of care to ourselves, families as well as to all other people. The countdown to the new year has begun, we are left with under two weeks to conclude this year and usher in yet another one, we should act responsibly so that, we all make it to the new year! Think safe, act safely and be alive! Over indulgence in alcohol greatly impairs one’s ability to think and make judgment while driving! motoringcorner@live.co.uk

Lifestyle

Motoring corner With Carlover