The Minister of Works and Transport Gen Edward Katumba Wamala has issued strict guidelines to be followed by road users and enforcement agencies to arrest the recent surge in road accidents.
Gen Katumba Wamala in a Tuesday statement, announced that there will be accelerated enforcement of road safety laws, in which errant drivers will be arrested and taken to courts of law, while others will be detained for hours for sensitization.
The Minister’s intervention follows back to back road crashes in the last one week in which up to 83 people lost their lives.
Gen Katumba revealed that in the past week alone from December 11th to 17th, 390 road crashes were registered, of which 71 were fatal, 202 were serious and 117 were minor
“83 lives were lost and 297 were seriously injured,” the Minister said.
The rise in the road carnage is being attributed largely to high traffic volume on the road as people ahead of Christmas.
The new issued guidelines, Minister Katumba says will target offences including speeding, drifting into another lane, drink driving, driving without a valid driving license vehicles in a dangerous mechanical condition, using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, riding without wearing a crash helmet and driving without wearing seat belts.
“The drivers who commit serious offences will be arrested and produced before courts of law while others will be will be detained for 2 hours, sensitized about the traffic laws and thereafter will be left to proceed on their journey,” Katumba said.
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