The Government through the Ministry of Works and Transport has issued road safety guidelines and directives to the Traffic Police that must be observed by motorists ahead of the festive season.

Among the guidelines, all buses whose journeys are beyond 300km shall not have return journeys within 24 hours, only buses with valid Route Charts and valid PSV licenses shall be allowed to operate, no school bus shall be allowed or any private vehicles that is not authorized by the Ministry to carry passengers for hire, and all bus drivers must possess valid driving licenses and drivers’ badges at all times which should have the driver’s photo and must be displayed in the bus.

To the rest of the motorists, the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala has appealed to them to avoid drink driving maneuvers, make use of the car seat belts and child restraint while on the road.

He also urged bodaboda riders to wear and fasten properly standard helmets, wear reflector jackets, carry not more than one passenger and avoid overloading.

To the passengers, the Minister urged them to caution the drivers in case of need because their lives depend on their actions.

He further directed the Traffic Police to be alert and take full enforcement of the traffic rules and regulations throughout the festive season to keep the roads safe across the country.

It should be recalled that during last year’s festive season, over 60 lives were lost in road accidents for the period from December 23rd 2023 to January 1st 2024.

By Olivia Nabaggala

6 Dec 2024

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