Road Safety in Crisis: Uganda’s Growing Fatalities and the Urgent Need for Action
The Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was held in Morocco, Africa, for the first time. This historic occasion sought to address the region’s concerning traffic fatality rates. The WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 shows that, although having only 4% of the world’s registered vehicles, Africa accounts for 24% of all road traffic fatalities, making the conference timely. Isn’t it odd that so much suffering and devastation can be caused by a continent with the smallest fleet of vehicles? What would happen to Africa if the number of vehicles reached 50%?
The fact that Uganda experienced a road safety catastrophe in 2024 is regrettable. The Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2024 states that there was a 6.4% increase in road crashes and a 7% increase in fatalities. This indicates that more than 5,144 people died in the past year alone, or more than 14 every day. Doesn’t this cast doubt on our ability to reduce traffic accidents as outlined in the National Road Safety Action Plan?
The reasons for this disturbing development are numerous irresponsible overtaking, speeding, and distracted driving (including mobile phone use), which continue to weaken road safety. Boda boda riders accelerate through traffic, resulting in a high incidence of fatalities in road incidents; taxi drivers violate signals, and pedestrians struggle to find safe crossing spots. Meanwhile, speed limits and seatbelt rules are frequently violated.
The truth of the matter is that while many African nations have road safety strategies in place, they remain largely unfunded and unimplemented, which is a major concern due to the lack of financing as highlighted in the 4th ministerial Road Safety.
Every collision is tragic for families. In addition to the loss of lives, survivors frequently experience emotional suffering, long-term impairments, and financial difficulties. Beyond just affecting individuals, road crashes also have an impact on businesses, put a burden on healthcare systems, and impede economic growth.
What can be done, then? Better public transportation, safer pedestrian crossings, better road infrastructure, and more stringent traffic enforcement are all necessary in Uganda. Campaigns for road safety must inspire genuine action in addition to raising awareness. To keep our roads safer, communities, the government, and drivers must collaborate.
