Given
the figures at hand of the number of people who die in road accidents in
Uganda, and those who are injured, there is all the evidence that the number of
dependent people increases with time given that it is mostly responsible people
with families who perish in these. Just
a look at the menace of the Commercial cyclists in Uganda shows you the magnitude
of the problem. One of Uganda’s biggest
problems is the failure of those in control to take decisions that solve problems
once for all. You cannot regulate boda –
boda riders when at one end you see them as a potential voting bloc. Government ends up leaving them to rule,
hence the increasing road accidents.
Road
Traffic Crashes (RTCs) were the leading cause of trauma and boda-bodas were
involved in 41% of all trauma patients. The average duration of stay was 8.3
days. The average cost to maintain a boda-boda patient was determined at Uganda
shillings 700,359 or the equivalent of US $369. Boda-boda injuries consumed
62.5% of the budget allocation for the directorate of surgery, Mulago Hospital.
Boda-bodas are a major cause of traumatic injuries among cases seen in the surgical emergency department at Mulago and the costs incurred by the hospital in managing these injuries are enormous. Efforts should be made to reduce the menace that is brought about by boda-boda motorcycle crashes. Resources currently being spent on treating injuries resulting from accidents involving boda-bodas would then be used to improve the care of other patients.
Boda-bodas are a major cause of traumatic injuries among cases seen in the surgical emergency department at Mulago and the costs incurred by the hospital in managing these injuries are enormous. Efforts should be made to reduce the menace that is brought about by boda-boda motorcycle crashes. Resources currently being spent on treating injuries resulting from accidents involving boda-bodas would then be used to improve the care of other patients.
The
way forward
1.
Serious decision making to regulate
Commercial cyclists and see their numbers greatly reduced in the city center, ensuring
that they follow all the instructions without fear or favour.
2.
Have Traffic Police deployed at
intervals on highways to ensure that speed is observed.
3.
Have the Traffic Police facilitated
while on duty with drinking water among other things.
4.
Traffic Police should be given a
number of hours during which they should be on road before they are relieved to
ensure efficiency
5.
Traffic Police to be given a
percentage of the cases that are required to pay penalties for traffic offences
6.
For each bus, a traffic police
officer to be part of the passengers to ensure that the driver does not over
speed or overtake in wrong places.
7.
To improve the communication gadgets
which traffic police use in reporting those who break the law.
8.
Ensure that all drivers from
drinking joints are tested for level of alcohol before being allowed to drive
off.
9.
Have victims of the traffic
penalties charged the amounts on their Tax Identification numbers so that
whenever they have to re-new the taxes, the penalty is already charged there to
enforce compliance to pay.
10. Spot
handling those who drive while of phone with kid gloves. Ensure that the set (without the sim card (s)
is taken from the abuser for an agreed time as shall be stipulated in the
law. 3rd parties to be
rewarded in case they report those who talk on phone while driving as long as
there is concrete evidence.
11. All
vehicles to have to undergo free mechanical check up periodically such that the
vehicle is cleared only after the defects are rectified.
12. Put
in place personnel in Police to follow up past road accident victims to see how
best to help the families.
No comments:
Post a Comment