Stop being reckless. It costs lives!
The reckless driver is another evil catalyst that society seems to have learned to live with.
On the evening of the June 23, at about 5pm, I boarded a minibus. I sat down by the window of an empty seat, adjusted my face mask and opened my half-finished book that I have been reading for a few days now. We seemed to have gone quite a distance because I was so deeply engrossed in this exciting legal thriller that I did not notice what was going on around me.
It was after my book fell off my hands that I realised that we were experiencing an accident. The driver had failed to brake on the up-hill road and the old rugged coaster reversed uncontrollably. He avoided the string of vehicles behind us and knocked a gate and perimeter wall of a residential home.
A few of us (passengers) sustained minor injuries, at least mine were three little line-scratches on my calf.
Dear drivers, only drive when your vehicle is in a good mechanical condition. Your greed and recklessness could cost lives. Pursuant to traffic laws worldwide, Uganda inclusive, all passengers travelling by regular bus have the right to adequate information throughout their travel.
This right includes the right to be informed about passenger rights and contact details of enforcement bodies. Such reckless and negligent drivers must be reported and punished.
Our driver’s particulars of negligence included;
a) Driving the coaster in a poor mechanical condition.
b) Driving without a seatbelt.
c) Absence of passenger seatbelts.
d) Refusing to inform passengers of their passenger rights.
e) Driving at a high speed.
About 10 of us went to the nearest police station with a purpose of securing a temporary travel permit to allow us get to our respective destinations post-curfew time.
On arrival at the police station, amid rude comments of “arrest those people”, the officers did not bother to ask our little group why we were there and clearly had no idea why.
Their major concern was to “arrest”. After futile attempts to have them draft us a permit, I drafted one and with a smile, requested that the officer in-charge stamps the same. Fortunately for us, he did.
Among us was a lady who called someone to drive our lot to our respective destinations. We were saved by the bell when the Good Samaritan arrived while we were being questioned as to who would drive our group. Armed with our little permit, I quickly made 10 copies for the small procession and left for our destinations. Bless the Good Samaritan.
Luckily, none of us died. But supposing a life was taken? How many dependents and other relations would be impacted?
A driver must always carefully think of these key issues and realise that people’s lives lay in their hands before driving recklessly. It could be his family’s life at risk.
Lucky for our driver, none of the passengers portrayed an interest of having intentions to sue him for damages as a result of the injuries (however minor), trauma and other tortures caused by his negligence.
“The reckless driver” is another prevalent evil in our society today that we continue to ignore. It is people like us who ignore such evils that defy justice.
To society, let us join hands and report these evils. Always. Who knows? May be they will learn to respect lives. To the drivers out there, stop being greedy and reckless. It costs lives. This is a story of one driver. There could be another.
Ms Mwigarire is a lawyer
[email protected]
