UGANDA. More than half of the people who perished in traffic accidents last week (May 25 to June 1, 2024) were motorcycle (bod-boda) victims, according to data from the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety under Uganda Police Force.
Of the 86 people who died in road traffic accidents, 46 were involved in boda-boda accidents in different parts of the country. 32 of the deceased were riders while the remaining victims were their clients or passengers.
The spokesperson of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, SP Michael Kananura says motorcycles (boda-bodas) have remained a challenge and they are killing more people than any other form of transport on the road.
TRENDS IN UGANDA: Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety Annual Performance Report 2023 highlights that the trend of traffic accident deaths is on the increase in Uganda.
Of the 37,449 vehicles involved in accidents in 2022, the number of motorcycles was 13,386, accounting for 36% of the total number of vehicles involved. Of those accidents, 2,498 were fatal, about 9,668 were serious and only 1, 220 were minor accidents.
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Even with all these statistics, motorcycle imports are increasing rapidly. Data from the Uganda Revenue Authority-URA shows that Ugandans registered 103,169 motorcycles in 2018/2019, the highest number ever in a single year. This was a jump from 49,635 motorcycles registered in 2017/2018. The annual average registration is 50,000 motorcycles. This suggests that many of these motorcycles may be used as boda-bodas, which are motorcycle taxis commonly used in Uganda.
WHAT IS BEING DONE? In the bid to curb deaths resulting the motorcycle accidents, Kananura said the Directorate is set to enforce regulations that require all people riding on the motorcycle to wear crash helmets and reflective vests or jackets to ensure safety. These will help other motorists on the road to easily identify them, especially at night to avoid accidents.
Kananura said that the enforcement is in line with the recently amended regulation, and soon they are going to start sensitizing the traffic officers to popularize the new regulation.
“If people get to know that it is a requirement, they will embrace the use of helmets and reflective jackets to save their lives,” he said.
Kananura further noted that if the public complies and everyone puts on crash helmets as well as reflective jackets, the country shall record a drop in the number of accidents resulting from motorcycles.
The Directorate will also engage motorcycle riders to explain to them the importance of acquiring a driver’s license. These are categorized into class A 1 for big motorcycles and class A for ordinary motorcycles.
The traffic and road safety officers will also routinely monitor the riders’ speed on highways and checkpoints using cameras given that overspeeding has also claimed the lives of many people. They will also screen those riding under the influence of alcohol, Kananura said.
WE SHOULD CARE! Research has shown that a motorcycle helmet can reduce the risk of death by 42% and the risk of head injury by 69% in a crash. The injuries related to motorcycles (boda-bodas) contribute significantly to the number of traffic accident injuries, according to Mulago National Referral Hospital report. About 70% of all head injuries received at the causality unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital are a result of boda boda accidents.
GLOBAL PICTURE: The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 confirms that there were an estimated 1.19 million traffic accident deaths in 2021– a 5% drop when compared to the 1.25 million deaths in 2010. Traffic accident deaths and injuries remain a major global health and development challenge.
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As of 2019, traffic accidents are the leading killer of children and youth aged 5 to 29 years and are the 12th leading cause of death when all ages are considered. Two-thirds of deaths occur among people of working age (18– 59 years), causing huge health, social and economic harm throughout society. More than half of fatalities are among pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists. 92% of deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries.
The African Region has the highest fatality rate at 19 deaths per 100,000 population, and the European Region has the lowest fatality rate at 7 deaths per 100,000 population. The fatality rate for Uganda was slightly lower than that of the African Region at 16 deaths per 100,000 population.
AFRICA: World Health Organization-WHO estimates that 291,998 deaths occur annually due to accidents across Africa. In East African region, Rwanda is the only country where all Rwandese motorcycle operators wear helmets and have another one for their passengers.
WHAT ARE LOCAL BODA-BODA RIDERS SAYING? “You see as boda boda riders, the corruption in Uganda is also a challenge. Some riders bribe traffic police officers and they continue using motorcycles in bad mechanical condition. We have to work together to fight this, because we all want life, no one wants to die,” Mr. Sadius Owokunda, the chairperson Mbarara city boda-boda riders in western Uganda. There are over 5,000 boda-boda riders in the city alone.
MENTAL HEALTH: Mental health experts have on several occasions attributed some of these accidents to the unreported issues like mental health challenges among the boda boda riders.
HEARING FROM VICTIMS: Amanya Edgar, who was recently involved in a motorcycle accident told Rise News Uganda Network’s Aaron Ainomugisha that some passengers and boda-boda riders are reckless, and passengers are also not bothered to warn riders against overspeeding and other dangerous practices.
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Police now says the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety will be conducting public sensitization on matters of road safety. This, consequently, will help the public to change their behavior regarding ensuring their safety while using the roads.
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