Officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda Police, Civil Society Organizations and have validated the draft Traffic and Road Safety (speed limit) Amendment Regulations 2024.

Parliament passed the Traffic and Road Safety (Amendment) Act, 2023, to return the regulation and management of speed to the Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998.

The Act prescribed a fine not exceeding one hundred currency points (Shs2m) or imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both, as the penalty if a person is convicted of the offense of driving beyond the prescribed limit.

The Ministry of Works Policy and Legal Analyst, Robert Kisakye, said the Ministry has decided to engage all stakeholders to review and update the Act before its operationalization.

“In order to operationalize the Act, the Ministry of Works and Transport embarked on a process to review and update the Traffic and Road Safety (Speed Limits) Regulations, 2004,” said Kisakye.

Adding: “This is aimed at improving driver behavior among road users and to develop a safety culture that will protect the most vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians and passengers that do not control the vehicle.”

The engagement, which also involved the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, UNRA, KCCA, UNBS, Transporters associations, and the Road Safety Advocacy Coalition (ROSACU), was organized by the Center for Policy Analysis (CEPA).

The regulations provide for the speed limits for different categories of roads, enforcement of the speed limits, calibration of enforcement gadgets and equipment, a 30 KPH limit in areas of high human traffic, and penalties for driving over the prescribed speed limit.

Some of the agreed-upon limits included a maximum speed of 30 km/h for rural roads and a minimum speed of 60 km/h for expressways, among others.

According to the Ministry of Works, the number of fatalities on Ugandan roads grew by 59% over the last ten years, from 2,845 in 2014 to 4,809 in 2023.

61% of the fatalities in 2023 involved vulnerable road users that were not in control of the vehicle, including passengers (1,119), pedestrians (1,675), and cyclists (140).

The Police Annual Crime Report 2023 attributed the main causes of road crashes to speeding, careless overtaking, and following too close.

Speed remains the most dangerous of the five key risk factors for road safety (speed, alcohol, helmet use, seat belts, and child restraints).

Police records indicate that the speed at which a vehicle travels directly influences the risk of a crash as well as the severity of injuries and likelihood of death resulting from that crash.

“Every 1% increase in average speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk. Similarly, a 5% reduction in average speed can reduce the number of fatalities by 30%,” police report.