The Uganda Police Force has marked Fridays and Saturdays as the most dangerous days on the country’s roads, according to the Annual Crime Report 2025.
The report, which analyzes national road traffic trends, reveals that the highest number of crashes occur on Fridays (3,921), followed by Saturdays (3,913).
Fatalities also peak on weekends, with 810 deaths on Sundays and 729 on Saturdays, driven by increased travel, leisure activities, and commercial transport movements.
Presenting Chapter 3 of the report at the launch event in Naguru, AIGP Lawrence Niwabiine confirmed a continued rise in road incidents.
According to Niwabiine, in 2025, a total number of 26,044 road traffic crashes were reported compared to 25,107 crashes recorded in 2024, representing an increase of 3.7 percent.
“Fatal crashes also increased from 4,434 in 2024 to 4,602 in 2025, while serious and minor crashes increased by 3.3 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. Although road crashes continue to increase, the trend over the past five years indicates that the rate of increase gradually slowed,” Niwabiine stated.
Overall road traffic deaths reached 5,383 in 2025, a 4.7% increase from 5,144 in 2024. Serious injuries rose by 8.4% to 18,444.
The report highlights that collisions involving pedestrians remain the most common crash type, accounting for 20% of all incidents, followed by side-swipe (17%) and rear-end collisions (16%). Most crashes occur on straight road sections, suggesting driver behavior rather than road geometry is the primary factor.
Careless overtaking (21.8%) and speeding (20.5%) together caused over 40% of all crashes. The most dangerous time of day is between 1800 and 1959 hours, where 711 fatal crashes occurred.
Motorcycles were involved in the largest share of crashes (35%), followed by motorcars (28%). Motorcyclist fatalities increased by 5%, while pedestrian deaths rose by 6.6% to 1,776. Most pedestrian fatalities occurred while crossing the road (43%) or walking along the roadside (32%).
Regionally, the highest fatalities were recorded in Rwiizi, Kampala Metropolitan South, East, and North, ranging between 392 and 417 deaths.
Police also reported arresting 322,441 traffic offenders in 2025, with 76,069 apprehended for using vehicles in poor mechanical condition and 67,190 for careless driving. Additionally, 7,158 riders were arrested for not wearing crash helmets.
