Road safety experts have urged Ugandans to respect the newly gazetted speed limits to reduce carnage.
Traffic police statistics for 2024 show 5,144 Ugandans died in traffic accidents which translates to 14 deaths per day. There has been a gradual increase in road deaths in the last five years and there are no signs that this trend will reduce sooner.
Road Safety Advocacy Coalition Uganda (ROSACU) in collaboration with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) have called upon all Ugandans to respect the new speed limits.
Ndugu Omongo, a road safety expert and executive Director of Uganda Professional Drivers Network (UPDN) said the skyrocketing road fatalities can be reduced this year if Ugandans abide by the new speed limits for urban and rural roads as well as the highways.
Omong said Ugandans have often blamed road crashes on infrastructural design and some claim the roads are narrow as causes of traffic accidents which is not true.
According to Omongo, all studies done by various local and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) have mentioned speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, not wearing seatbelts, not wearing crash helmets and lack of child restraints as the major causes of road fatalities.
The new regulations limit speed for built-up areas such as schools, markets, hospitals, and town centres especially where vehicular traffic mixes with human beings to 30km/hr from 50km/hr. The speed limits for all major highways having single carriageways have equally been lowered to below 100km/hr with only Dual carriageways now left with a maximum speed of 100km/hr.
By Our Reporter
21 February 2025
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