Driving in Kigali

 We bought a car in December and have been enjoying the ability to get around without hassle. Initially Cynthia wasn’t to confident driving, but she has been driving a lot and is getting used to it. She is a good and cautious driver and did great in Lusaka, so, for her, it is just a matter of regaining her confidence. 

I returned from my recent visit to the US with a dashcam as I have been told it is a good idea in case of an accident. Driving here, as you would expect, is different. We do drive on the right, which is nice, and I would imagine the actual driving laws are quite similar to the USA. However, the day-to-day driving is much different than the standard rules. I have boiled it down that the driving in Rwanda is completely dependent upon everyone paying attention to everyone else, all the time. There are many intersections where there are no stop or yield signs. Stop signs are completely ignored. Right of way is loosely observed. People pass on blind curves knowing that if there is a car coming, they will stop and let the person complete their pass. It is very helpful that the speed limit in Kigali is 60 kph (37 mph) and outside the city, the max is 80 kph (50 mph). It works here and while it is frustrating for me to have oncoming traffic driving in *MY* lane, you adapt. 

 To give you a feel for the driving, I put together two videos of our drive from home to the Kinyarwanda class and back. The videos were sped up by 4x.