The Uganda police Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety has warned road users against overspeeding as the festive season approaches.
ACP Michael Kananura, the traffic police spokesperson, while addressing the media on Monday, October 21, 2024, at the police headquarters in Naguru, said that the role of traffic and road safety police is to ensure the safety of all road users during the festival season and many other activities that happen like visitation, holidays, and among others.
“In the same season, we are also going to see them go back to school. So we tend to have a number of issues that advance on the roads, and this is particularly due to drink driving. It is in this season that people tend to use alcohol and other drugs to drive on roads for long distances. It is a season where we see reckless driving,“ Kananura said.
He also highlighted unsafe driving, where people feel they must get to their places faster than others, where they tend to make unsafe overtaking, like in corners or on hills, which possess risks, which has continued to cause many crashes on the roads.
According to Kananura, other than alcohol, some drivers tend to drive under the influence of other different kinds of drinks and drugs where they feel these drugs giving them energy to drive for long distances. He also cautioned against destructive driving, especially driving while using phones.
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He added that during the festival season, drivers always do not put on seat belts yet they pick vehicles in poor mechanical conditions that have been parked for so long and they want to use them on roads, either for public transport or for their own transport, which is very risky.
Kananura further emphasized that the directors will conduct enhanced operations targeting all the above factors, including checkpoints and patrols, which will monitor bus movements and route charts at BRS, and violating drivers will face arrest by prosecution.
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He also said that police will distribute road safety materials like flyers, blotches, and stickers; utilization of mass media, that is, radio, TV, and social media platforms; and also stakeholder engagements. We also intend to engage the region’s leaders, local councils, school administrators, markets, and associations.
These operations and activities will be conducted up to January 31, 2025, to ensure a safe and enjoyable festive season for all.
