Vivo Energy, the company that distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants in 16 African countries, has trained bus drivers on road safety a head of the festive season.
Accidents during the festive season often result from errors triggered by fatigue since drivers make many trips without resting.
Some of the major accidents recorded so far have been found to have been caused by reckless driving, drink driving, and talking on phone while driving.
According to police reports, there are 200 black spots along several roads that motorists should take care of to reduce on the road carnage. The dangerous spots are due to sharp corners, lack of road signs, large potholes, and narrow roads among others.
Cerinah Zalwango, the corporate communications manager Vivo Energy, while opening the training that took place at the G1 hotel in Kampala, said that the highest numbers of road accidents are registered in December because there are many vehicles on the road as people travel to and from Up-country. She urged the drivers to be mindful of their lives together with their passengers.
“You as bus drivers carry many people’s lives in your hands; therefore you should be careful while driving. Just imagine what will happen to your family if you are reported dead after an accident,” Cerinah noted.
It’s estimated that more than 20,000 people die every year in traffic accidents in Uganda and the majority of these accidents are preventable.
Vivo Energy has now come out to equip the bus drivers with road safety tips that will help them prevent road accidents. Vivo Energy has also trained over 1200 boda boda cyclists on road safety across the country.
The chairman of the Uganda bus drivers association, Yunus Kigundu, commended Vivo Energy for the training and he accepted that most bus drivers lack road safety training.
He said that they lost 4 drivers in a space of 2 months this year due to road accidents.
Many Ugandans rely on buses, matatu’s and bodaboda’s for movement, hence the need for more energy and resource to be focused on enhancing safety of the public road transport system.
Many hospitals in East Africa have reserved special wards for bodaboda accident victims since they are the most affected.