Joe Walker treks again to raise road safety awareness
Mr Joseph Beyanga, alias Joe Walker, the head of radio at Nation Media Group - Uganda (right) and former executive director of Vision Group, Mr Robert Kabushenga (2nd right) lead other people in the road safety walk on Northern Bypass on December 8, 2022. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- He was joined by the former executive director of Vision Group, Mr Robert Kabushenga.
The head of radio at Nation Media Group - Uganda, Mr Joseph Beyanga, alias Joe Walker and others yesterday trekked a distance of 25 kilometres on Northern Bypass to create awareness on road safety in the country.
Mr Beyanga said the road crashes can be minimised if only the drivers and riders change their behaviour to follow all the traffic rules and guidelines.
“You and I know that at least every day we lose between 12 and 14 people in road crashes. We also know that 72 percent of these accidents are caused by reckless and careless driving. Today (yesterday), we are walking to raise awareness to ensure that this madness which leads to these road accidents can stop,” Mr Beyanga said as he set off for the journey in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, yesterday.
He added: “This call is not going to only low status people but also to those of high profile. Actually, when you look on the roads, the people who are driving on the wrong side of the roads and end up hitting other people are government officers, ministers and judges, among others.”
Joe Walker also decried the limited number of roads with walkways, which he said put the life of pedestrians at risk as they compete with motor vehicles on most of the roads. He urged government to ensure that more pedestrian infrastructures are put on roads to safeguard them.
“We are walking to celebrate what UNRA (Uganda National Roads Authority) has done and we are asking for more infrastructure for pedestrians on the road,” he added.
He applauded UNRA for building a guarded walkway on the Northern Bypass.
Joe Walker’s road safety awareness journey comes at a time when the country is grappling with increased cases of road accidents and subsequent rise in road crash related deaths.
Last month, a police report revealed that the country loses at least four people to boda boda-related accidents while KCCA report in the same month reported a death toll of 40 people per week to road accidents.
The walk was joined by the former executive director of Vision Group, Mr Robert Kabushenga, who applauded Joe Walker for taking a lead in raising road safety awareness.
He urged other Ugandans to join the campaign to ensure that the country does not continue to lose lives to reckless driving.
“I want to appreciate Joe Walker for raising the road safety awareness, even with his earlier trek of over 300 kilometres to Bushenyi. The awareness on road safety is very important because we cannot be driving in the way we are driving and hope to remain alive,” Mr Kabushenga said.
“To public officials, you are the worst offenders. You should be reminded of the fact that you driving a government car doesn’t give you a right of way and neither does it give you the right to misbehave on the road,” he added.
