Road safety campaign launched as we enter festive season

ROAD SAFETY | FESTIVE SEASON 

A road safety campaign organised by the Uganda Insurers Association (UIA) and the Ministry of Works and Transport has been launched on the buses travelling upcountry during this festive season.

The drive kicked off on Monday (December 14), with the UIA, giving road safety tips to both passengers and drivers. 

Passengers going upcountry were given masks while traffic officers were seen inspecting buses at Matugga police checkpoint.

As part of the campaign, a launch was held at Matugga police checkpoint in Wakiso to brainstorm on strategies to mitigate the challenge. 

Organised under the theme "Smart Travel Campaign", the campaign will address the high road carnage that claims numerous lives annually.

The Regional Traffic Officer North, ASP Eria Kamugisha, urged bus drivers to always ensure the safety of passengers by checking their buses before loading, not to talk on the phone while driving.

He noted that due to such awareness, bus accidents will reduce this festive season.

Sam Bambanza, the executive director Hope for Victims Traffic Accidents (HOVITA) said they are partnering with UIA and that there was a need to bring all stakeholders on board because road carnage affects all road users.

"We hope to come out with a united voice," Bambanza said.

UIA Technical manager, Juliet Igonu who officiated at the launch said: "We want to contribute to making Ugandan roads safer during this festive season".

Police report

Last year Police report indicated that on average, 9,000 people died in road accidents in the last three years in Uganda.

According to the works and transport ministry report published in September 2017, at least 10 people die in road accidents every day with bodaboda riders named as the leading causes and most of them being head-on collusion.

According to statistics from the traffic and mad safety department, more than half of the accidents in the country take place in the Kampala Metropolitan Area. This is because of high vehicle and human population.

Behaviour of drivers and police officers

Despite repeated road safety campaigns, the police and drivers alike seem to make little of such campaigns.

"One major problem seems to be poor enforcement of traffic laws", David Magala a senior driver says.

"Either the police are unable or unwilling to enforce traffic rules or people know they can get away with it after committing a traffic offence".

Kamugisha says the police are trying their best to do their job on roads heading to upcountry.

In Uganda, people drive on sidewalks, bypass traffic lights, when they are showing red and pedestrians, have to wait at zebra crossings for the speeding vehicle to pass.

Maybe with time, recognition situations may get the police to pay attention to them.