The Kampala Annual Road Safety Report 2023 reveals a 3% decrease in the number of fatalities in Kampala from 2022 to 2023.
The road traffic fatalities decreased from 425 in 2022 to 411 in 2023 with the highest number of fatalities recorded in July, however, the number of serious injuries surged by 23% rising from 2,234 in 2022 to 2,756 in 2023.
The report also showed that the death rate declined from 11.6 per 100,000 in 2022 to 10.6 in 2023 and that the increase in injuries indicates the urgent need for intensified road safety interventions.
While releasing the report, Stella Namatovu, the Surveillance Coordinator of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Safety explained that the highest fatality rates were recorded among individuals aged 30-39 years while serious injuries were commonest among those aged 20-29 years. Males accounted for 77% of traffic crash deaths and 68% of serious injuries in 2023.
The vulnerable road users that include; pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicycle riders accounted for 95% of deaths in 2023 and the fatalities mostly occurred on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with crashes peaking between 6-8pm and fatalities between 8-10pm.
While launching this report, the Lord Mayor for Kampala, Erias Lukwago expressed the need for institutionalizing the KCCA Road Safety Unit which will lead in implementing a safe system approach towards safety for all road users.
By Olivia Nabaggala
20 Dec 2024
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