Traffic rules should not be just a cash stream
Traffic police officers test new speed guns in Kampala on April 26, 2022. PHOTO | STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- We, therefore, hope that in pursuit of safety on our roads, policymakers will consider sensitising users and devising solutions to actual causes of accidents instead of focusing on raising revenue.
The recent announcement of new traffic fines upon being issued Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) tickets has sparked debate. Many have only looked at the fees made public by the Ministry of Works and Transport as a means to collect money and not make our roads safer.
Sunday Monitor revealed that motorists who fail to pay traffic fines within 72 hours (three days) of issuance of EPS tickets will be slapped with a 50 percent surcharge upon failure to pay. But even before these guidelines come into force on May 15, we need to look back on what these fines intended to solve in the first place. Has that target been hit?
The EPS for road traffic offenders was introduced by the Works and Transport Ministry in 2002 as an alternative way to penalise errant motorists. Last year, the police issued EPS tickets valued at Shs41.4 billion, with Shs40 billion paid.
According to the Auditor General’s report of 2022, there were more than 528,027 unpaid EPS tickets valued at more than Shs100 billion across three financial years. Are the drivers more disciplined? Have accidents reduced? Or was the scheme entirely designed as a revenue stream and nothing more?
Government officials said cameras will be used to catch offenders and fines will be sent electronically to ask drivers to pay. We have all seen junctions that have traffic lights being manned by police officers. What will happen at these spots?
Will cameras be switched off once officers take charge since drivers will exceed speed limits once the whistle goes? What about the actual causes of accidents and sensitisation of the public to drive safer? According to the 2023 Police Annual Crime Report, a total of 23,608 road crashes were recorded by traffic police, with 4,179 categorised as fatal.
These numbers seem to increase with the increase in the number of cars and motorbikes on our roads. The causes of these accidents have been attributed to various factors, including: speeding and exceeding prescribed speed limits, careless overtaking manoeuvres, overtaking on blind corners and hills and attempting overtaking manoeuvres when faced with multiple vehicles ahead.
The police also listed distracted driving, such as using mobile phones or messaging while operating a vehicle and road obstruction caused by broken-down vehicles. None of these is going to be solved by an increase in fines and tight timelines for offenders to pay. This is not to say the EPS is not working.
It could as well be, at least the Treasury knows it. However, road safety should not be overtaken by the need to finance our budget.
