Mornings and evenings in Kampala are rush hours as commuters try to reach their destinations in time. Most drivers will find themselves in terrible traffic jam and a majority of them resort to their phones to kill the boredom, and this posses a great danger to both pedestrians and drivers. Police says that most of the accidents in Kampala are caused by drivers engaging in Social Media while driving hence being obstructed by use of mobile phones. The police director in charge of traffic Dr Stephen Kasiima, says that such accidents are on the the raise due to this, as they arrest over 50 offenders each week.
Dr Kasiima says that this being caused by the growing number of cars, smartphones and also the many people who drive while they are using mobile phones and committing traffic offenses. Boda boda riders are also not excluded from this practice either. As to whether this habit is worth dropping depends on who you talk to. As some people claim that cars are more like mobile offices nowadays and it’s difficult not to do business while driving and others like boda boda drivers will claim they get emergency calls and messages from their clients and they have to respond to them urgently. The most logical reasoning is to park aside and take your calls rather than pay a fine.
However there are challenges on enforcement. According to the traffic and road safety act, A person shall not while driving a motor vehicle use a handheld mobile telephone. Those who contravene the regulation are liable on conviction to a fine of not less than UGX 100,000 or to imprisonment not exceeding one year or both. Dr Stephen Kasiima admits the law is weak and advocates for imprisonment without the option of paying any fine. At the end of the day, the question remains, how will such laws be enforced?
Mini Poll: Should govt revisit the “Driving while texting” law?
Image Credit: NTV
