Civil society has asked government to return the automated Express Penalty Scheme system that it says will help curb indiscipline on the road as children return to school for the new year.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Charlotte Kangume, the co-founder for Amputee Self Help Network Uganda (ASNU) said as schools reopen, learners face a risk of accidents as motorists behave recklessly while one the road.
“Most people may not realise the burden and expenses you go through after getting an accident but the burden is both physical and psychological. When someone is involved in an accident, their families will suffer,” Kangume, a victim of a road accident said.
Speaking of her own experience, Kangume said the accident she got in 2018 shattered her life and that it took her many years to recover.
“I was standing on the side of the road and a reckless driver oversped and bumped into me. My income was cut short as I had to start afresh and not so many people would want to hire me. This is what happens to many families whose bread winners’ lives are shattered and therefore, the families are shattered.”
Kangume said with the schools reopening, many learners are transported by boda bodas while others walk to school, a situation she said increases vulnerability of children to accidents.
The 2024 annual police crime report indicated that 14 people are killed everyday on Ugandan roads.
The report also indicated that nearly 500 children under 11 were killed in road crashes, while another 861 sustained serious injuries.
In just nine months, over 230 children were killed in road accidents in 2024.
The magic bullet
According to civil society, the automated Express Penalty Scheme could be the magic bullet to the issue of indiscipline on Ugandan roads.
“We lose many people including children due to reckless driving but we can do better and enforce systems to help reduce these situations. We think the automated EPS is not a punishment. It is protecting our children and everyone. It will enforce discipline on the road. We need to have it return,” Kangume said.
“When it was here, everyone was abiding by road regulations not because there was a police officer but because they knew there was a system to hold them accountable on the road. It is what we need.”
Kangume emphasised that automating enforcement will go a long way in solving road carnage in Uganda.
“The cost of automated enforcement is significantly lower than the long-term cost of treating crash victims, rehabilitating survivors, or supporting families affected by permanent disability or loss of life.”
Government recently indicated that it will soon resume the automated Express Penalty System that was halted last year after a public outcry over among others erroneous fines and system faults.
It is said that it will first be applied in targeted pilot zones in Kampala and selected highways with high fatality rates