Road Fatalities Increase by 30 Percent in 2023

By Our reporter

 KAMPALA – Uganda recorded a 30 percent increase in road fatalities registered with the police in 2023, with 4,179 lives lost, according to the annual traffic and safety report released here on Wednesday.

The death toll in road crashes increased by 30 percent to 4,179 in 2023 from 3,210 in 2022, Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola said at the launch of the report. “The figure in serious crashes increased to 12,487 in 2023 from 8,860 in 2022.”

At least 23,608 road crashes were recorded in 2023 compared to 20,394 cases registered in the East African country in 2022, according to the annual report.

“There was a 15.5 percent increase in common offenses registered by the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety countrywide from 456,993 cases registered in 2022 to 528,025 cases in 2023,” said the report.

To curb the alarming accident rates, the police said they had resorted to enforcement of traffic laws and regulations through operations, targeting commercial motorcycle riders, commuter passenger taxis, and other risk factors such as speeding and drunk driving. ■