Govt to make helmets mandatory for motorcycle passengers
Boda boda cyclists in Kampala. Passengers are encouraged to use helmets for their own safety. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- New regulations also target errant motorcyclists, including those with helmets not approved by the Uganda National Bureau of statistics (UNBS).
Government has developed new measures for both drivers and motorists to follow in a bid to reduce injuries and deaths from road crashes, the ministry of works and transport has announced.
According to the ministry of works senior road safety officer Judith Natukudna, government plans to put in place an automated system which will toughen procedures for people seeking driving licenses.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Uganda is ranked amongst countries with the highest road traffic death rates estimated at 29 car deaths per 100,000 people.
The figure exceeds the 24.1 per 100,000 people for the African region and the 18.0 per 100,000 people global average for deaths, respectively.
Now, Uganda’s works ministry’s move to turn around that statistic will also see public drivers prohibited from alcoholic substance if they are to drive.
"We currently have a blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.5mg/ml for people driving their own vehicles and we need 0.00mg/ml among public drivers," Natukunda told journalists during a road safety training in Kampala late last week.
Further, the ministry of works is introducing a demerit point system where every driver who violates traffic rules will face a deduction of points, consequently affecting his or her permit renewal.
"Points will be deducted in different ways according to the crime a driver has committed on the road. For instance, we can suspend you or even stop you from driving on the road once we see that all the due points have been deducted thus not renewing your permit," Natukunda explained on March 23.
New regulations also target errant motorcyclists, including those with helmets not approved by the Uganda National Bureau of statistics (UNBS).
"We are trying to avoid motorcycle riders using construction helmets. We also want to ensure helmets are mandatory for motorcycle passengers," Natukunda added.
The Kigumba-Kiryandongo Drivers Association chairperson Edison Mugabi instead encouraged government to “introduce a tech driven traffic management system with ability to track down traffic offenders.”
For Masindi District motorcyclist Moses Tibaita, stepping up action on road safety is vital.
“It should be done through strengthening laws and good driving practices,” he told Monitor on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the new initiatives developed by the ministry of works await publication in the Uganda gazzate.
