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Police yet to identify cars in accident that killed woman
The scene was visited by officers from Seeta Police Station and took the body to the city mortuary for postmortem. Photo courtesy | @FredNamanya1
What you need to know:
- The Traffic Police spokesperson, Ms Faridah Nampiima, said they are reviewing the CCTV footage to identify the cars involved in the incident and their drivers.
Police are investigating an accident on the Kampala-Jinja Highway near Jomayi Offices in Mukono, which killed a woman identified as Patricia Nabugabo.
According to witnesses, on Saturday, Nabugabo got out of her car, a Toyota Seinta, after it was knocked by an unidentified car and while she was inspecting it, another car knocked her dead.
The Traffic Police spokesperson, Ms Faridah Nampiima, said they are reviewing the CCTV footage to identify the cars involved in the incident and their drivers.
“We have retrieved the CCTV footages and the hunt for the two drivers, the one who scratched her vehicle and the one who knocked her dead, is on. We want to urge all road users, that when you get challenges on the road, park on the safe side of the road,” Ms Nampiima said.
Previously, the police said the entire Kampala-Jinja Road has CCTV cameras and they are able to see any incident of criminal activity on the highway.
Hit and run accidents are high in the country.
More than 1,500 pedestrians are killed annually but most of the perpetrators of these crimes do not report the cases to the police for fear of bearing the costs and punishment as a result of the accident.
According to Section 108(1) of the Traffic and Road Safety Act 1998, a person who causes death through dangerous driving is given a fine of not less than 75 currency points (Shs1.5m) and not exceeding 200 currency points (ShsShs2m) or imprisonment of not less than two years and not exceeding five years or both on conviction.
The law also allows the court to “award to any person injured by the offence or the dependent of any person whose death arises out of the commission of the offence, compensation not exceeding 50 percent of any fine paid by the convicted person in respect of the offence”.
In the amended Traffic Act, there isn’t an alternative of a fine for a person convicted for causing death through reckless driving. The convicted is liable to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
The amended law, which was gazetted in May, will only be put in force after the government has sensitised of the public.
