The Traffic Police have officially begun enforcing tougher traffic regulations today, introducing significant changes aimed at curbing reckless driving and boosting road safety.
Key among the new measures is a drastic reduction in the time motorists have to pay traffic fines from 28 days to just 72 hours.
Under the revised Express Penalty Scheme (EPS), drivers cited for traffic violations must now settle their fines within three days or face an automatic 50% surcharge.
This change replaces the 2004 policy, which gave motorists a 28-day grace period before penalties increased.
Officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport say the new law is intended to reinforce discipline among road users and improve the efficiency of fine collection.
According to police, EPS revenues reached Shs40 billion in 2024, just short of the Shs41.2 billion target.
In addition to the tighter payment timeline, a new set of penalties has taken effect, including fines of Shs200,000 to Shs600,000 or imprisonment of one to two years for unlicensed or uninsured vehicles.
Shs200,000 for driving 1–30kmh over the speed limit and Shs600,000 for exceeding it by more than 30kmh and Shs500,000 fine for drink-driving, along with a mandatory court appearance and potential suspension of the driver’s license; and Shs 1.2 million to Shs1.8 million in fines or two to three years in prison for careless driving, among others.
But the implementation of the stricter rules has sparked a wave of criticism from the transport sector.
Drivers and other stakeholders argue that the government has not put in place the necessary infrastructure to ensure fair enforcement.
Chief among the concerns is the absence of adequate road signage, particularly speed limit indicators, which many say could lead to arbitrary fines.