The 7,822 people killed on roads in two years of Uganda’s lockdown show the deaths are twice the 3,596 Covid-19 toll. Niwabiine and Mugisha say during the lockdowns, there were very few cars and motorcycles on roads, something that tempted people to speed thus making every crash very lethal.
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Traffic woman guiding pedestrians who were second in most killed category last year in road crashes
The data on road fatalities
compiled by traffic police directorate show the number of Ugandans killed in
road crashes doubled those who succumbed to Covid-19 in the last two years.
Uganda spent two years under total and partial lockdown in a bid to control the spread of Covid19.
According
to Worldometers, a renowned website in giving latest Covid-19 statistics, 3,596
Ugandans as of May 24, 2022 have died of the highly contagious disease.
But in the same period,
7,822 Ugandans have been killed on roads where most of the victims have been
pedestrians, followed by motorcyclists and passengers on motorcycles.
Police statistics contained
in a report released by the acting traffic and road safety director, Commissioner
of Police -CP Lawrence Niwabiine, show that last year was very lethal to road users, leaving 4,159 dead.
Niwabiine's figures show that 1,390
motorcyclists, 1,384 pedestrians, 528 passengers on motorcycles and 200 drivers
lost their lives in road crashes last year. This was the first time the number
of motorcyclists killed in road crashes surpassed the number of pedestrians.
“Accidents that involve
pedestrians usually occur as they try to cross the roads," explains Niwabiine. "In some cases,
pedestrians fall victim when vehicles veer off the road and plough into them. Other
accidents occur when a driver trying to avoid collision with another vehicle
ends up hitting pedestrians.”
The 2020 traffic and road
safety deaths stood at 3,663 according to CP Basil Mugisha, who was at the time
the Acting traffic police director. In 2020, the people most killed on road crashes were pedestrians, standing at 1,258, while motorcyclists killed on roads were 1,146. Passengers on motorcycles who died were 409.
Mugisha explains that the numbers
of motorcyclists and their passengers dying increases every year because people like
them for their flexibility and versatility. However, police indicates that many
riders are very careless on roads.
In a bid to minimize road crashes, Niwabiine says police arrested and
fined 336,722 traffic offenders in 2021. The biggest number of offenders was apprehended
over careless driving, over speeding, driving vehicles and motor vehicles in dangerous
mechanical conditions.
Senior Staff Reporter
Joseph Kato is currently a Master's candidate at Makerere University. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Kampala International University, a Diploma in Journalism and he's also a graduate in Guidance and Counseling.
