At least 57 people including riders and passengers were killed in one week in accidents involving boda bodas around the country.
According to the Traffic Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police, Michael Kananura, a total of 222 accidents involving boda bodas were registered in a period between July, 16 to 23 around the country.
"During this period, 57 accidents were fatal whereas 146 were serious. In these accidents, 19 passengers died and 38 died whereas 99 riders were injured and 47 passengers injured," Kananura said.
Fatal accidents are those where at least one person is killed whereas serious accidents are those in which people are only injured.
Boda boda menace
Boda bodas have continued to be a menace around the country on the road.
Last year, figures from the Traffic Police indicated that 1,021 riders and 400 passengers were killed in boda boda accidents in nine months between January and September 2022.
This means at least 110 boda boda riders were killed every month in those nine months but the overall figure was above the 1918 people killed in the previous year 2021.
Boda bodas have continued to be a preferred mode of transport by many Ugandans, especially those in towns and cities due to their swiftness and flexibility especially in beating traffic jam.
However, in a bid to beat traffic jam and be swift, boda bodas are found of violating traffic rules , with many riding in the opposite lanes as well as disregarding traffic lights.
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This state of affairs has seen many accidents on roads.
Speaking on Monday, the Traffic Police spokesperson admitted that boda bodas are still a menace on the road.
"They don't observe road signs and signals. When traffic lights signal them to stop, they continue riding whereas many of them ride on the wrong side of the road. Many don't put on reflective jackets, ride with more than one passenger whereas many ride under the influence of alcohol and drugs," Kananura said.
He said that starting this week, Traffic Police is going to launch a crackdown on boda boda riders without reflective jackets and riding permits among other items.
He said this is intended to enforce discipline on the road, especially among boda boda riders.
"It is true boda bodas have continued to become a menace in causing accidents on Ugandan roads but whenever we carry out these enforcement operations, we see compliance with regulations and more discipline on the road. However, we must know that boda bodas are many," the Traffic Police spokesperson said.
