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Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Busoga East have intensified sensitisation to promote road safety across the major highways in Eastern Uganda. They include Iganga-Tororo, Iganga-Tirinyi and Musita-Lumino roads.
The sensitisation drives involve public barazas in commuter taxi parks and motorcycle stages, with traffic police personnel tipping motorists on how to keep safe on the roads.
This, the police authorities say will reduce on the number of road accidents across the major highways, with all road users equipped with the necessary information to prioritize safety at all times.
The Busoga East police spokesperson, Michael Kafayo, says that most of the road carnages result from reckless driving and with continuous road safety awareness campaigns, they are hopeful there will be a change.
Kafayo says that both reckless driving and speeding contribute to an average of five fatal accidents along the major highways weekly, a challenge they believe to be better solved through direct engagements with the road users.
Among the many traffic guidelines, they have focused the sensitisation on reducing drugs and other substance abuse by largely youthful motorists. This, he says, enables motorists to remain sober at all times, alert and equally enjoy enough rest. Kafayo says that the road safety campaigns supplement the usual police traffic teams deployed in the black spot areas, with the core aim of ensuring that all road users comply with the set traffic guidelines.
” Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and it is imperative for all stakeholders to participate in drafting workable solutions, which will overly safeguard members of the general from succumbing to accidents or sustaining permanent physical injuries,” Kafayo said.
Michael Kyeswa, a driver along the Musita-Lumino road, says that road safety clinics should be part of the police’s annual work plan. Kyeswa argues that, much as they still grapple with poor and narrow roads, most accidents committed by motorists are avoidable.
Swabura Nangobi, a boda rider in Iganga, says that sensitization drives rallying motorists to observe lower speed limits are fundamental in reducing road accidents.
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In as much as safe driving is fundamental to reducing accidents, Vehicle Roadworthiness Tests in Uganda is conducted by paying money rather than physical tests on vehicles. It is equally pathetic that road-traffic-officers are geared at extorting money from drivers of ramshackle public vehicles than impounding them. Worse still, high personnel, especially Legislatures and senior security officers are an encumber in keeping ramshackle Public Service Vehicles (PSV) on the road when they threaten traffic officers keen at exercising their task. It is sad that road safety in Uganda become an issue only when a high profile person become a victim.