Benin: the government announces strengthened controls against drivers who drive on the left

The delegated ministry to the President of the Republic, in charge of the Interior and Public Security, published a statement this Friday, July 10, to remind a basic rule of the highway code: to drive on the right.

According to the statement, it has been “notoriously observed on the roads that some vehicle drivers, in defiance of legal exceptions, drive on the left.” The ministry qualifies this behavior as uncivil, believing that it “disrupts traffic” and endangers both these drivers and other road users.

The text reminds of the existing rule: traffic must take place “on the right side of the roadway,” except in certain specific cases (overtaking, circumventing an obstacle, changing direction, contrary signage, or an order from a police officer).

Increased checks across the country

In response to the recurrence of these behaviors, the minister invites all users to “show civility” by respecting these rules. Police services have been instructed to organize “increased checks throughout the entire national territory” in order to penalize offenders.