We’re all to blame over safety on the road
Jun 28, 2003
SIR— John Emorut’s letter to the editor in Monday’s edition decried the reckless manner in which coach/taxi passengers toss pieces of bones, plastics and buveera (polythene bags) through windows, and called for passenger education by taxi/coach owners.
SIR— John Emorut’s letter to the editor in Monday’s edition decried the reckless manner in which coach/taxi passengers toss pieces of bones, plastics and buveera (polythene bags) through windows, and called for passenger education by taxi/coach owners.
Having travelled both as a driver and passenger on our roads, my appeal is to all of us as motorists, pedestrians and passengers to respect our roads for better traffic flow.
We all share the blame as follows:-
(1) Drivers have been tossing sharp muchomo sticks, empty metallic cans of beer, bogoya peelings, directly through the driver’s window on the road! Personally, my car was once hit by such empty cans thrown out of a car window. I was following at 90kph near Katonga Bridge, Masaka Road.
(2) Bodaboda riders just veer left, right and centre at high speeds without checking the traffic flow on the road before moving on.
(3) Being many, passengers constitute the highest “per capita†group o traffic defaulters by “firing†their deadly slippery surface-to-surface missiles on to the road!
(4) Pedestrians throw stones and any other items they may deem safe enough to express their delight at passing vehicles.
(5) All of us above are wont to struggle to outcompete each other in the Guinness Book of Records for hurling insults and obscenities at each other on the motorways!
My appeal is to all of us as owners, drivers, pedestrians, passengers and traffic enforcement officers to first remove the logs in our eyes before noticing the speck in the others’ eyes for recklessness.
We should all endeavour to respect and safeguard each other on and off the road.
Remember that the person hit by such a missile you throw out recklessly may be the most treasured friend, son, daughter, parent, partner or beneficiary, of yours.
As the old adage goes: Prevention is better than cure.
Dr Emmanuel Rhedo Musiimenta
Rukungiri
Having travelled both as a driver and passenger on our roads, my appeal is to all of us as motorists, pedestrians and passengers to respect our roads for better traffic flow.
We all share the blame as follows:-
(1) Drivers have been tossing sharp muchomo sticks, empty metallic cans of beer, bogoya peelings, directly through the driver’s window on the road! Personally, my car was once hit by such empty cans thrown out of a car window. I was following at 90kph near Katonga Bridge, Masaka Road.
(2) Bodaboda riders just veer left, right and centre at high speeds without checking the traffic flow on the road before moving on.
(3) Being many, passengers constitute the highest “per capita†group o traffic defaulters by “firing†their deadly slippery surface-to-surface missiles on to the road!
(4) Pedestrians throw stones and any other items they may deem safe enough to express their delight at passing vehicles.
(5) All of us above are wont to struggle to outcompete each other in the Guinness Book of Records for hurling insults and obscenities at each other on the motorways!
My appeal is to all of us as owners, drivers, pedestrians, passengers and traffic enforcement officers to first remove the logs in our eyes before noticing the speck in the others’ eyes for recklessness.
We should all endeavour to respect and safeguard each other on and off the road.
Remember that the person hit by such a missile you throw out recklessly may be the most treasured friend, son, daughter, parent, partner or beneficiary, of yours.
As the old adage goes: Prevention is better than cure.
Dr Emmanuel Rhedo Musiimenta
Rukungiri