In a tumultuous week that could only be described as a vehicular nightmare, the streets bore witness to a staggering tally of mayhem.
According to the harrowing report from the Directorate of Traffic Police, a heart-wrenching 71 souls met their untimely demise, with an additional 287 individuals left grappling with severe injuries.
Among the fallen, 28 were fearless boda boda riders, seven were hapless passengers on motorcycles, and 17 were innocent pedestrians, cruelly caught in the maelstrom of chaos. The statistics painted a grim picture of the reckless abandon that gripped the roads.
The coffers of the traffic police swelled to a staggering Shs 170 million, a testament to the sheer audacity of drivers who dared to flout the law. September, it seemed, had turned into a carnival of delinquency.
The report shows that a staggering 474 drivers found themselves in the clutches of the law, slapped with a hefty fine of Shs 200,000 each for the audacity of driving under the influence of alcohol.
But it was not just the inebriated who courted disaster. A breathtaking 380 drivers were caught red-handed by the unblinking eye of the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, their speedometers dancing recklessly past the 100km/h limit on the Entebbe expressway.
These speed demons, too, were handed a hefty fine of Shs 200,000, a monetary reckoning for their reckless disregard.
Superintendent of Police Micheal Kananura, the valiant voice of reason amidst the chaos, lamented the audacity of drivers who dared to flirt with peril on the Entebbe expressway.
“Drivers drive beyond the prescribed speed along Entebbe expressway because they know we don’t have traffic personnel at all points. But we have our CCTVs which we use to capture these people and we issue them with tickets,” Kananura asserted, his tone a testament to the gravity of the situation.
Out of the staggering Shs 170 million, Shs 94 million was wrested from the clutches of drunk drivers, while a still-impressive Shs 76 million was reaped from the speeding fines.
The nocturnal haunts of the Northern bypass, Entebbe expressway, Jinja road, Kira road, and Entebbe road played host to the dark dance of inebriated drivers, ensnared by the vigilant gaze of the law.
In a relentless crusade for safety, 569 motorcycles were seized, their owners found wanting in the basic prerequisites of driving licenses, reflector jackets, and crash helmets. This stern measure was the cornerstone of the Fika Salama Extra operations, a clear message that recklessness would not be tolerated.
Siraje Mutyaba, the stalwart leader of boda boda riders in Kampala central division, spoke of a weary resignation.
“We have participated in police sensitization workshops where we have sensitized bodaboda riders on the importance of wearing crash helmets and having driving licenses. Many seem not ready to respect the traffic laws and we have given up on them,” Mutyaba intoned, his voice a weary echo of the battle against vehicular anarchy.
In the wake of this tumultuous week, the roads bore scars, and the hearts of many were heavy with the weight of loss. A clarion call for sanity echoed through the air, a plea for drivers to heed the lessons of tragedy, lest the streets become a macabre stage for further calamity.
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