Together we can reduce festive season accidents

On the wee hours of Friday, two people were confirmed dead and 10 sustained injuries after a bus collided head-on with a Fuso truck on the Kampala-Gulu highway. According to police, the accident happened when a Divine Bus company bus tried to overtake the truck.

The previous day, two traffic officers were among the seven people killed in four separate road crashes across the country. Police Constable Sulah Kadede, a traffic officer attached to Kakiri Police Division in Wakiso District, was knocked dead as he responded to an accident, while Constable Micha Muhindo died in another road crash at Adwila, Amach Town Council along Lira-Soroti highway.

On Tuesday morning, one person when the driver of a fuel tanker lost control on the road and overturned before crashing into utility poles in Tororo District. The day before, police said reckless driving was the cause of the Monday evening fatal accident in which a police pick-up truck overturned, killing two officers and critically injuring 13 others on Gulu-Kitgum Highway.

That was this week alone. Last week, six people died on Tuesday afternoon after a speeding Fuso truck rammed into a Toyota Hiace taxi they were travelling in along the Jinja-Kampala highway in Njeru Central Division, Njeru Municipal Council.

Sadly, the events from the past two weeks are not isolated. They are a common pattern during this time of the year as Ugandans travel to different parts of the country to celebrate the festive season with their loves ones.

Last year, according to the Traffic and Road Safety directorate, at least 58 people lost lives in accidents recorded during the Christmas holiday. At least, 248 people were involved in accidents recorded between December 23 and December 26. In 2020, at least 449 people perished in road accidents while 1,445 survived with injuries.

The causes of the increased number of accidents during this time of the year has always been attributed to speeding, drink-driving, and driving cars in dangerous mechanical condition. But sadly, the numbers keep accumulating as people seem not to learn.

We commend the President for putting back roadblocks across the country this week to, in part, deal with reckless drivers. We hope the police officers manning them uphold the traffic laws when apprehending these errant drivers.

We appeal to all drivers and road users to be careful, especially during this festive season. Plan your journeys ahead of time to avoid speeding, don not drink and drive, and finally be considerate to other road users.

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