Prudential Uganda has announced the start of the third phase of its Safe Steps campaign.
The Safe Steps Road Safety Campaign is funded by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Africa and Asia and the campaign is implemented by the Uganda Redcross Society (URCS).
The Road Safety campaign which started in 2022 is primarily aimed at promoting road safety, first aid, behavioral change and awareness and has to date trained over 12,000 boda-boda riders in Kampala Metropolitan Area, Mityana, Masaka, Mbale, and Mbarara districts.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.19 million people die each year because of road traffic crashes.
Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years.
Meanwhile, 92% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world's vehicles.
Moreover, more than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
"We started by training only 4,000 boda-boda riders in 2022 and yet by the end of SAFE STEPS Phase III, we shall have trained another 6,000 growing the number of community first responders to 18,000 impacted through this campaign. Prudential continues to be committed to sustainability, delivering real-time world impact, and building long-term resilience in the communities we serve," said Prudential Uganda's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tetteh Ayitevie.
Ayitevie said the Safe Steps road safety campaign is a testament to their dedication to this cause but also reflects their belief that as a life and health insurer.
"Road safety continues to remain a critical issue, and through our collective efforts, we have made significant strides in educating the public and promoting safer driving practices through facilitating both the trainings but also mass media educative road safety behavioral change messages. Our commitment to road safety does not end here; we will continue to support initiatives aimed at reducing road traffic crashes to save more lives," Ayitevie added.
According to the Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2024, Road traffic crashes increased by 2.4% to 25,107 cases in 2024 compared to 23,608 cases in 2023.
The report further notes that more crashes were reported to have occurred during daytime (3,780 cases) between 8am to 8pm than the nighttime.
Gen Katumba Wamala - Minister of Works and Transport (MoWT) said that road safety is everyone's responsibility and pledged to mobilize more partners to join the road safety drive.
Gen. Katumba further highlighted that the ministry will soon introduce safe zones for schools, hospitals and churches to further enforce road safety.
"We are delighted to be part of the Safe Steps initiative which aligns with government's plan to reduce road traffic crashes by 50% by the end of 2030."
The Uganda Red Cross Society's Secretary General - Kwesiga Robert thanked Prudential Uganda for sustaining the road safety initiative implemented by URCS through which over 18,000 community first responders including boda-boda riders, traffic wardens and Uganda Police traffic officers will have been trained and sensitized on road safety and first aid at the end of the campaign.
" As part of the SAFE STEPS initiative, boda-boda riders have received reflector jackets for visibility, certificates, helmets for protection against head injuries, "Kwesiga noted.
"At URCS, we are committed to road safety and recognize the rapid escalation of Uganda's road safety crisis, calling for urgent need for sustained road safety education and sensitization efforts to reduce accidents and save lives. Safe Steps continues to re-echo the United Nations ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Traffic Police spokesperson, Michael Kananura acknowledged that road safety affects everyone and should be given centre stage.
"In 2024, Uganda saw a 7% increase in the number of road traffic deaths from 4,806 in 2023 to 5,144 in 2024. The fatalities in motorcyclists increased by 13.2% from 1,520 in 2023 to 1,720 in 2024. Passengers on motorcycles who died in road traffic crashes increased by 10% from 614 in 2023 to 676 in 2024,"Kananura said.
He noted that in 2024, vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, pedestrians, and pedal cyclists - made up 84% of the reported deaths while motorcyclists together with their passengers alone accounted for 47% of these deaths, while pedestrians accounted for 34%.
Vehicle occupants accounted for 16% of all road traffic deaths while pedal cyclists accounted for 3% in 2024.
"I urge all road users to pay extra attention to road safety signs, avoid over speeding and over taking in dangerous corners. I also wish to thank Prudential Uganda and URCS for the continuous trainings for community first responders that will go along way in saving lives."
