Four pedestrians die every day in road crashes - police
Michael Kananura, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Pedestrians should also follow traffic rules and road signage to avoid accidents.
About four pedestrians die in road crashes daily, police data has revealed.
According to the 2022 Annual Crime and Traffic/Road Safety Report, 20,394 road crashes were recorded countrywide.
Of these, 1,579 pedestrians died, translating into four pedestrians dying every day in road crashes and 131 dying every month.
Mr Michael Kananura, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, while addressing the press conference in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday said there is an increase in the number of pedestrians dying each day.
“From July 30 to August 5, a total number of 405 road crashes were registered involving 424 victims of which, 31 people were pedestrians on various roads in the country,” Mr Kananura said.
“Out of these 405 road crashes, 79 were fatal, 199 were serious, while 127 were minor. Ninety-nine people died and 325 people sustained serious injuries,” he said.
Mr Kananura said among the fatal crashes registered, 36 of them involved motorcycles and five passengers, who were travelling on motorcycles, 31 were riders, and nine victims being drivers.
He said among the casualties, 16 were passengers, two cyclists, and five were individuals residing by the roadsides, who died after vehicles veered off the road and knocked them.
Mr Kananura attributed the road crashes to recklessness.
“To be safe on the road, walk on the right hand side so that you can see the oncoming motor vehicles. Do not use the road when you are under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs or any other intoxications,” he said.
He urged pedestrians to exercise patience, discipline, and vigilance when using the road, emphasising the need to avoid distractions such as phones and music that endanger the safety of all road users.
“When a pedestrian is to cross a road, stop, they should look right and look left to check if there are no oncoming vehicles from both sides before they can safely cross and they shouldn’t run in the process,” he advised.
Mr Michael Tumusiime, a road user, said pedestrians should follow traffic rules and road signage to avoid accidents.
