Joe Walker embarks on  another road safety trek 

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has urged all Ugandans in their different capacities to step forward and do something to stop road carnage.
Mr Tayebwa observed that in December last year, road accidents claimed lives of many Ugandans, including his fellow Member of Parliament Patrick Okabe and his brother-in-law, which calls for mobilisation of all Ugandans to embrace road safety.
“This cause is for all of us. Recently I lost a brother in-law, Bishop Okabe and his wife died in a road accident, Justice Mugamba lost three people on the same day,” he said.

He made the remarks at the Independence Monument in Kampala yesterday morning while flagging off Mr Joseph Beyanga, aka Joe Walker, the head of radio at NMG-Uganda for a 220km walk to Mbale. Mr Tayebwa added that every citizen has a role to play in the development of the country irrespective of their position or occupation.

“Road accidents and environment among others  are things you can’t shoot by the gun, but require public mobilisation to bring the necessary changes,” he said. He said such road safety campaigns would eventually draw the attention of Parliament and other state agencies to come up with appropriate laws for the betterment of society.
“As Ugandans, regardless of our positions, we must come together and fight back. We are all in this together,” Mr Tayebwa said.

Second campaign
This is the second time Mr Beyanga is walking to raise awareness about road safety. Last year, he trekked from Kampala to his Bushenyi, his home district, to promote awareness against road accidents.  
Mr Beyanga said the walk, which will last five days, will involve making stopovers in busy trading centres, taxi parks and roadside schools educating communities and raising awareness about road safety.
During a recent press conference, Traffic Police spokesperson Faridah Nampiima said in December alone, 163 Ugandans died in road accidents while 573 sustained injuries. 

background
 According to WHO, 1.3 million people around the world die due to accidents each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. Developing economies record higher rates of road traffic injuries, with 93percent of fatalities coming from low- and middle-income countries such as Uganda.   Uganda has contributed highest to these statistics with 29 deaths per 100km according to the WHO Global status report on road safety. A report presented in Parliament in November last year indicated that the government spends at least Shs236 million daily to treat road crash victims in critical condition.