EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For Three years (Since 2019), The Uganda Professional Drivers’ Network (UPDN) in partnership with The Inter Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), including other private sector/civil society players in Road Safety as Integrated Transport Systems Limited (ITSL),Graben Logistics Academy (GLA), Prestige Driving School, Safe Way Right Way (SWRW) and Government of Uganda have successfully coordinated National Commemoration for WDR in Uganda aiming to bring together experts from different fields to share knowledge (what they are doing) and experiences regarding the increasingly worrying situation of road safety in Uganda. The intention is to work with organisations involved in promoting road safety in
Uganda, prioritizing Kampala including; but not limited to: the BIRGS programme partners, UNRA, KCCA, MoWT, UNRA, UPDN, URRENO, HOVITA, SWRW and for all parties to pool their resources into one day.
OBJECTIVES OF THE DOR:
Objectives of the DoR:
- Highlight key road safety issues which have led to increased accident rates
- Impact – economic impact, mental health
- Engage Government and private sector agencies on road safety matters
- Generate National Consensus an lay multisectoral strategies to reducing road crashes, deaths and related effects on year by year basis (From 1 WDR to the next)
One hundred Twenty-one people (see appendix 2) attended and the facilitation team comprised of members from UPDN, ITSL, UNRA, MoWT, SWRW, KCCA, IRCU and BIRGS (see appendix 1).
BACKGROUND OF THE DOR
The purpose of this event is to remember those who have died in road crashes. In 2020, this figure was 3,663 lives lost.
On average Uganda loses 11 people every day in road traffic crashes (2019 Uganda Traffic Police
Report). In 2020 even with the low traffic volumes due to restrictions of movements of vehicles as COVID19 precaution directives, Uganda still lost 3,663 people in road traffic crashes. Looking at the figures of 3 past years;2018(3,689),2019(3,880) and 2020(3,663), averages 3,744 lives. This is equivalent to 107 buses with 35 passengers with the current COVID19 restrictions of half capacity.
In May 2011, The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011– 2020 was launched globally. From Sri Lanka to Albania and from Ethiopia to Peru, presidents and prime ministers; ministers of transport, health and others; heads of international agencies; chief executive officers of companies; road traffic injury victims and their families; and other concerned citizens expressed their commitment to the goal of the Decade: saving five million lives. In most of over 100 countries which celebrated the launch, nongovernmental organizations played an important role through the advocacy events they hosted to bring the Decade to the attention of the public.
The Plan of Action will align with the Stockholm Declaration, which emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to road safety, and calls on continued improvements in the design of roads and vehicles; enhancement of laws and law enforcement on behavioural risks such as speeding and drinking and driving; and provision of timely, life-saving emergency care for the injured.This new Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 provides an opportunity for harnessing the successes and lessons of previous years and building upon them to save more lives.
PURPOSE STATEMENT & APPROACH
On World Day we too pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals, who deal daily with the traumatic aftermath of road crashes. As every year, the objectives of WDR 2021 was to provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to:
- Remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
- Acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services
- Draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries
- Advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families;
- Promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries
TARGET PARTICIPANTS:
- Commercial Drivers’ Associations
- Licensed Driving Schools
- Driver Employers
- Accident Victims and Survivors
- Police
- Government
- General road users
- Legal Experts
- Public Health Experts/Practitioners
- Transport and road infrastructure experts
- National Logistics Platform (representatives of truck drivers)
