Two people died on Sunday evening following a motor accident in Kiraro village, Kitholu Sub County, Kasese district. The accident involved a Juston truck registration number UBH 445A that was loading timber but lost its brakes before it rammed into three people sitting outside kiosks.
Those who died on spot were identified as Gorrette Muhindo in her mid-20s and 9-year-old Kelvin Masika. The injured is Gorrete Biira who was rushed to Bwera General hospital for treatment. Sikiyowa Bwambale, the Kiraro parish chairperson, said police picked up the lorry driver.
He said they were not certain what exactly caused the stationed truck to move. Nelson Tumushiime, the Rwenzori East police spokesperson, said the police were still trying to gather all details regarding the accident.
The police revealed that 55 lives were lost between December 23 and 26 after 47 fatal and 95 serious accidents were tallied. Most of the accidents were pegged to reckless driving.
The traffic police also revealed that 104 road crashes were registered around the country between December 30, 2022 and January 1.
According to the statement, the biggest cause of the accidents was reckless driving where 20 fatal, 39 serious injuries and 17 minor accidents were registered.
According to the 2021 Annual Crime and Traffic/Road Safety Report, 4,159 road accident fatalities nationwide were recorded. Of these 1,390 involved motorcycle riders while 528 were passengers on motorcycles.
In 2021, more than 37,000 died and more than 10,000 injured due to serious accidents and over 17,000 in minor accidents and the trend is worrying.
According to WHO, 1.3 million people around the world die due to accidents each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. More than half of all road traffic deaths and injuries involve vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and their passengers.
Further, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29.
