Charge for pigheadedness not narrow motorways

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OPINION

By Dr Myers Lugemwa

On October 22, 2025, the country went into mourning for its sons and daughters who had their demise prematurely following a road crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway, which crash that could have been escapable if the drivers, especially those of the two buses, had obeyed to guidelines in the Highway Code regarding overtaking.

This accident is one of the many that occur almost every week on our roads, although with fewer fatalities. Uganda is becoming notorious for road crashes. On the African Continent, the country ranks among the first 10 countries in the equation.

I would therefore be inhuman, a wizard and an atheist if I do not say, "May the souls of all those who have died in seemingly preventable road crashes in the last couple of years rest in Eternal Peace!"

While causes of road accidents are globally categorised as, Man, Motorway, Motor Vehicle (MV) and Meteorology-the 4Ms, Man is at the center of crime because he has a cerebrum (brain) that helps him to think, discern, make logical decisions on all issues pertaining to the rest of the 3Ms hence taking the lion’s share (85%) in the causation or preclusion of RTAs. 10% is usually due to the mechanical conditions of the MV, which may be in a dangerous mechanical condition (DMC), unexpected breakdown, such as a tyre burst, brake failure, etc.

The state of the motorway (infrastructure, lack of road signage and furniture, pot holes, etc) accounts for about 5% meteorological conditions such as fog, heavy rain, etc, account for about 1%.

Because of man’s pigheadedness, with resultant failure to discern and make logical decisions on "Motorway" among other factors, what would have been avoidable in most cases results in a crash. Dimming is one thing that most night bus drivers plying long distances very rarely do, and I bet my bottom dollar that failure to dim for the oncoming MV could have been one of the factors that led to the crash in question.

As I have submitted in the past, the recent upsurge of RTAs with resultant increase in deaths can and should not only be prevented but also proscribed. In this regard, therefore, I wish to opine thus, that:   

1. All driving permits are to be validated, and anyone found culpable is struck off the road for at least one year.
2. All motorcycle dealers make it mandatory for anyone buying a bike to include a package (helmet(s), wind breaker/reflector jackets, gloves) before taking the bike.
3. The government invests in printing copies of the Highway Code in different languages (An exercise MoWT started in 2017/18) and ensures that every rider or driver has a copy at a subsidised cost and applies the code.
4. MV regular simple checkups, such as vehicle lights including brake lights, indicators, etc by any traffic police officer be conducted at any one time as long as an MV is on the road, including bodaboda.
5. A traffic police officer is free to stop and ask a driver/rider a question related to the Highway Code to ascertain knowledge on road use. The same can educate the road user where s/he does not know some of the answers.
6. All driving schools are registered by MoWT, have the same curriculum and exam and give a certificate before releasing the learner. The certificate should be presented when applying for a driving permit.
7. Motorcycle driving schools for bodaboda should be established and treated as in the seven above.
8. Traffic police are not stationed in one permanent spot as is the case now, but rather become transitory, especially on highways. This can be augmented by the Police Assistants (Models of police officers on motorcycles) at different positions, such as one that used to be near Kakooge on the Kampala-Gulu and Buwama on the Kampala-Masaka highways, but have since gone to waste to indicate police presence anywhere between, thus warning the would-be reckless, overspeeding driver.
9. Police are equipped with breath-analysizers for alcohol and other drugs such as marijuana, Cannabis, etc, which are catalysts for reckless, speeding and inconsiderate road use.
10. A Toll-Free Number should be put on billboards along major highways for anyone/passenger to report any bad driving, quoting the place, time, type of error and the motor vehicle in action for the police to act against the culprit behind the wheel.
11. The government considers these incessant, unfortunate accidents not only as an epidemic but an apocalypse for the country’s population and economy and therefore invests heavily to stop the carnage!
12. Lastly but not least, all lead cars for "VIPs" become exemplary to other road users rather than making other vehicles scampering in galleys on our narrow single lane roads; what is happening could be a reaction to sometimes the inconsiderate use of the road by some of these lead cars.
13. All bodaboda have both head and rear lights on 24 hours as is prescribed.

Rest in peace to all those who have left mother earth through the careless and reckless hand behind the handlebars or steering wheel, and quick recuperation to those still nursing injuries inflicted through the same.

The writer is the former Chairman, National Road Safety Council