Road crashes claim 77 in one week, police say

Kampala, (UG):- The Directorate of Road Traffic at Uganda Police Monday said at least 77 people died due to road accidents, with 399 injured in a space of one week.

In the traffic police report relating to traffic presented before the media on Monday, 25 people among the dead were motorcyclists (34%), while pedestrians were 22 (30%) pedestrians, and 07 (09%) passengers on motorcycles.

The road carnages according to the traffic police spokesperson SP Michael Kananura were registered between February 25 and March 3, 2024.

SP Knanaura attributed the cause of accidents to mainly careless overtaking and overspending, for which he said the traffic police is set to continue enforcing its heightened operations this week to counter errant road users.

“We continue with operations among boda bodas without crash helmets, reflective jackets and driving permits,” SP Kananura said.

He also advised pedestrians to always be extra careful while on the roads and also urged motorists to drive carefully and always slow down to 50km /hour where there are pedestrians, particularly in crowded town centres, markets and near bus stops.

Below are the road safety tips outlined by traffic police to prevent road crashes

• Drive carefully and always slow down to 50km /hour where there are pedestrians, particularly in crowded town centers, markets and near bus stops.
• Watch out for pedestrians stepping suddenly into the road from behind parked or stopped vehicle.
• Be extra careful when children are around and when driving near schools.
• Be friendly to old people and disabled persons when they are having difficulty crossing the road.
• Always slow down near schools and hospitals.
• You must stop at zebra crossing to let pedestrians cross using the zebra crossing
• You must not over take on or near zebra crossing, because this may make it difficult for you to see the pedestrians who has started crossing the road using the Zebra crossing,
• Some pedestrian crossings are controlled by traffic light signals, you must obey traffic light signals.

“Remember that over a third of the people killed on roads are pedestrians, when you step out of your car you become a pedestrian too. So show more care, slow down when you see them they have as much right to use the road as you do,” Mr Kananura said.

The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety said it will continue with road safety sensitization across the country targeting all road users to promote behavioural change.