The A-Z Expert Tips on How to Safely Drive Home This Festive Season

By Max Patrick Ocaido

Uganda Road Fund (URF) has released 26 ‘A to Z’ ‘survival kit’ guides to reduce the likelihood of road users being involved in road accidents this Christmas season.

URF was established by an Act of Parliament in 2008 to finance routine and periodic maintenance of public roads in Uganda from mainly road user charges. The Agencies has the mandate of financing routine and periodic maintenance of 140,000kms of public roads categorized as 20,500km national roads under the management of UNRA; 2,110km City roads under KCCA; 30,000km district roads under 134 District Local Governments; 3,800km urban roads under 41 Municipalities; 7,700km urban roads under 227 Town Councils and an estimated 60,000 - 80,000km of Community Access Roads under 1,155 Sub Counties.

According to URF, Uganda has around 3,500 recorded road fatalities per year and accident statistics often peak during the festive period. Therefore, the ‘A’ to ‘Z’ guide provides simple rules to reduce the likelihood of being involved in a road crash.

A: Alcohol:  If you have been drinking alcoholic beverages don’t drive: Have a ‘Plan B’ with a delegated alcohol-free driver and ensure you are an alcohol-free pedestrian when crossing busy roads.

B: Boda Bodas: Use Boda Bodas with extra caution. Wear a helmet and try to control the speed of the rider.

C: Care after road crash:  Care after a road crash in Uganda is extremely rudimentary particularly on upcountry roads. Best to avoid being involved in a road crash and if you do; ensure casualties reach an adequate medical facility within an hour. Many patients arrive at a medical facility after the “golden hour”, has elapsed that is the first hour after the injury has occurred, after which the severity of the injury escalates.

D: Dim your lights: Use headlights on low beam to enable other road users to see you and avoid glare. For long upcountry journeys; have your headlights (low beam) switched on during the day.

E: Eye Tests: Ensure that you have annual eye checks and wear anti-glare glasses if necessary.

F: Fatigue: Don’t drive while tired and have regular breaks on a long journey. Concentration drops significantly after 3hrs non-stop driving.

G: Gradient: Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) often struggle when climbing steep gradients. Allow enough space between your vehicle and the HGV in case of brake failure.

H: Hands on the steering wheel:  Hands (both hands) should hold the steering wheel to ensure the vehicle is under control. Passengers should not distract the driver and if the driver is reckless – shout out!

I: Injury: Know what to do in case of injury and carry a First Aid kit, and know the location of the nearest emergency facilities along the route you are taking.

J: Judge your speed: Judge your speed and obey speed limits. Don’t over speed.

K: Knowledge: Know the accident black spots on the roads and adjust speed accordingly and brush up on your road safety knowledge and driving skills.

L: Look both left and right: Look both left and right (twice) before crossing a road.

M: Mobile Phones: Mobile phones should be avoided whilst driving – the ‘WhatsApp’ message can wait, etc. Taking your eyes off the road for even one second can double your risk of a crash. Nonetheless, the phone should be fully charged with sufficient air-time.

N: Nighttime driving: Nighttime driving requires extra care especially on unlit roads: Be clearly visible and both front and backlights should work properly. Slow down if you are not sure what is ahead: Pedestrians and cyclists should have brightly visible clothing especially if traveling on the main roads.

O: Overtaking: Overtaking in the wrong places should be avoided – Ensure there is sufficient forward visibility before maneuvering and use the ‘mirror-signal-maneuver’ rule. Unfortunately, the road infrastructure in Uganda is very unforgiving in situations where road users make errors!

P: Prepare/Plan: Prepare the vehicle for the journey by undertaking mechanical checks and have an emergency plan on what to do after a crash.

Q: Question your decisions all the time: Question your decisions before making them particularly in challenging driving situations and stay in your queue. Cars with ‘tinted’ front side/back windows are unsafe. Think all the time as “we are all pedestrians” and potential road crash victims.

R: Ready to drive: Ready to drive - before setting off: check seatbelt, hand brake, seat position, pedal position, mirrors, tyre condition, lubricant levels; wiper operation, vehicle service records; ensure airbags are functional, etc and don’t overload the vehicle!

S: Seat belts: Seat belts should be worn all the time including the use of children’s car seats. You don’t lose anything by wearing a seat belt and it increases your chances of survival if involved in a road crash. Children should be well restrained and not in the front seats or laps.

T: Think! Think all the time and don’t wrongly assume other drivers are competent and skillful or that they passed their driving test or undertook driver training. Allow enough room when traveling behind another vehicle especially in wet conditions or when the vehicle ahead is “smoking” with dark emissions. Think about the potential of animals or pedestrians crossing the road ahead. If the car breaks down; switch on the hazard lights and when it is safe to get out of the car on to the road verge. Only change car tyres on the road when it is safe to do so.

U: U-turns: U-Turns on busy roads should be avoided – best to turn into or reverse into a side road and then maneuver out.

V: Vehicle safety: Vehicle safety - make sure the vehicle is in a safe condition to be driven: Tyre condition and pressure and all lights working properly.

W: Weather: Weather – adjust your speed according to the weather and road condition.

X: Xtra Patience (ignore spelling of ‘Extra’!)* Extra patience required as traffic volumes increases over the festive period. Be extra patient and allow enough time for your journey. Avoid road rage.

Y: Younger drivers and learner drivers: Younger drivers and learner drivers should be more careful as they are less experienced and are bound to misjudge road situations.

Z: Zero accident levels:  Zero accident levels should be your target: every road crash victim is one too many: could be someone’s grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, brother, sister or child. THINK and don’t become a statistic or contribute to one.