The majority of traffic accidents, according to records from the Uganda Police’s Traffic Division, occur in December.
In 2018, eight people died in accidents every day, but in December of the same year, ten people died on the roads every day. In 2019, there were 12 deaths reported each day in December, compared to an average of 11 deaths per day from traffic accidents in the previous year.
In 2020, 1,445 accidents were recorded in the 31 days of December, translating into 46 accidents and 14 deaths per day. In total, 3,663 people died in accidents in 2020, meaning, twelve people per day.
Just two weeks into December of this year, traffic police spokesperson Faridah Nampiima revealed that over 700 road accidents occurred in the previous two weeks, resulting in over 150 fatalities.
In order to improve traffic operations in advance of the holiday season, the traffic police have installed new road barriers and checkpoints on all of the nation’s major roads as traffic accidents rise.
Faridah noted that over 21000 traffic offenders were arrested during the operations conducted from 1st to 19th December.
She said that there will be increasing motorised patrols along highways.
“The festive season is usually characterised by increased movement of persons and goods from one area to another.
We have increased the motorised patrols on the road to ensure that people arrive safely at their destination,” Nampiima said.
“We are ensuring that only competent drivers are on the road, and this way, we are checking on the driver’s licenses. If you know you have never attained a driver’s license, don’t drive. If you know your driving license is expired, renew it,” she added.