Important Road Signs In Rwanda

Traffic road signs are written / painted directions placed above or on the sides of the road in form of posters or banners to guide road users who include drivers, motorists and pedestrians. The road signs  are paramount in the prevention of road accidents so they should be well observed. While all other East African countries drive on the left, it is different for Rwanda because driving there is done on the right hand side so you are entitled to keep right. The road user should be in position to interpret the meaning of various road signs and respond positively so before driving on the roads of Rwanda, get to have the knowledge about different road signs. They are divided into regulatory, informative and warning signs and below are some of the important road signs you need to know for your self drive safari in Rwanda.

SPEED LIMIT SIGN

This sign indicates the speed you are to drive at on that specific road and it is rated per hour, set by the national and regional traffic police of Rwanda. Different roads have different speed limit set usually according to the number of road users and nature of the road whether steep, slippery or having sharp corners. This sign is usually made of a circular or triangular boundary containing a number which is the speed limit you should not exceed. The speed limit sign is a very important sign you don’t need to ignore while on your self drive safari because you will be bound to cause accidents and to face the courts of law.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Traffic lights are also important regulatory road signs usually located on roundabouts and on multi junctions to regulate the movement of cars across the round about or junction. Traffic lights are made of different colors each having a different significance. The red color indicates that you should stop, orange indicates that you should get ready because lights are almost changing to green and the green light indicates that you can continue driving to the direction indicated.

NO U-TURN SIGN

This is made up of a curved arrow that signifies a U-turn with a bold crossing through it meaning that at that particular place, you should not turn and move into the opposite direction from the current direction. Failure to follow this regulatory sign may lead to accidents that may result into loss of lives or car breakdown.

STOP SIGN

This is also a very important regulatory sign usually located at road junctions that usually has the word ‘STOP.’ This road sign signifies that you stop, look left and right to ensure there is no vehicle coming before you proceed with driving, this will help you avoid accidents on your self drive.

ZEBRA CROSSING

This is a road sign designed in black and white stripes like that of a zebra and it is the pedestrians’ right place to cross the road, so when you find a zebra crossing, you are supposed to stop and let them cross then proceed afterwards. Failure to respect the zebra crossing may result into knock down of pedestrians hence loss of lives.

MEN AT WORK SIGN

This road sign is usually put up when the road is under construction or renovation to alert drivers to slow down to prevent knocking down of road workers and other cars because in most cases where there is road work, the road is narrowed. However, this is a temporary road sign and it is usually put away when the road work is finished.

For any inquiries or need for more information about important road signs for your self drive in Kigali city or any other destination in Rwanda, contact us  on email info@rwandacarrentalservices.com or directly call our head office on +256414699459 or +256700135510 for your car rental bookings.