Road accidents: Parliament calls for speed governors

State Minister for Works Musa Ecweru (left) talks to a team of forensic experts at Fort Portal Police Station. PHOTO | ALEX ASHABA 

Parliament on Wednesday observed a minute of silence in memory of the 28 people who perished in four separate road accidents earlier that day.  

The lawmakers blamed the road accidents on government failure to introduce compulsory speed governors in vehicles.  

A speed governor or limiter is a device used to restrict the speed of vehicles. 

 The Bukooli Central MP, Mr Solomon Silwany, while raising a matter of national importance, said the accidents were a wake-up call for government to consider regulating speed on highways. 

“I want the Ministry of Transport and Works to come out, regulate speed. Put speed governors and monitor vehicles that carry at least 10 passengers,” Mr Silwany said. 

He added: “I use buses a lot and I realise that the speed the driver uses is determined by himself. If this does not stop, we will still have more of these accidents.” 

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa called on the police and the Ministry of Works to investigate the cause of Wednesday’s accidents. 

Mr Tayebwa asked the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, to make a formal response to the House on May 12.

By press time on Wednesday, the causes of the three accidents in western Ugandan were not clear. 

At least 21 people were killed in an accident involving a Link Bus on the Fort Portal-Kyenjojo Road in Kabarole District and one person was knocked dead in Rukungiri District.

However police revealed that the one in eastern Uganda occurred when a taxi that was overtaking another vehicle had a head-on collision with a saloon car on Mbale-Tirinyi road killing seven people. 

Background 

In order to reduce accidents involving passenger service vehicles, the ministry of works and transport in 2004 issued a statutory instrument on mandatory installation of speed governors to limit the speed of buses and trucks.

The move, however, encountered a number of challenges including resistance from drivers and implementation issues and was consequently dropped in 2008.