Speaker Among calls for action plan to end road accidents

Among said that countless hardworking Ugandans who would have greatly contributed to the growth of the nation have continued to die in road accidents.

"Whenever we lose someone, we mourn their passing here. But I believe that the time for moaning is past, and we now need a strategy to put an end to this devastation," she remarked.

The speaker made the comments on Saturday while speaking impromptu after the burial of former Erute County Member of Parliament, Acon Gutomoi.

Gutomoi died in a car crash with three other people on Saturday morning.

The comments made by Among came two days after well-known businessman Apollo Nyangamehe, better known as Aponye, was killed in a car accident on Thursday in Ntungamo District on the Mbarara-Kabale road.

The speaker asserted that the relevant government agencies must cooperate to address the major issues that contribute to traffic accidents, such as checking the condition of vehicles, reckless driving, poor road design that results in sharp corners and blind spots, and indiscipline on the road, such as poor parking.

She gave the responsible ministry (Ministry of Works and Transport) the assignment of creating an action plan to address the problem.

Parliament also lost Serere County MP Patrick Okabe last year; he and his wife died in a car accident.

According to the most recent police statistics, vehicle accidents increased in Uganda by 16.9% in 2022.

In contrast to the 17,443 reported road accidents in 2021, 20,394 road accidents were reported nationwide in 2022, according to the Annual Crime Report.

Police statistics show that reckless driving was a factor in 61 percent of all incidents, and 22 people were killed for every 100 accidents.

According to the police, focused operations have been employed to enforce traffic laws and regulations in an effort to decrease accidents. These operations have included focusing on motorcycles, taxis, and other high-risk situations, including speeding and drunk driving.