SURVIVING AT THE COST OF OUR OWN LIVES

The transport system here in Uganda is claiming lots of lives. Over 1000 ugandans lose lives in road accidents each year.
Safety is the least of most people's worries when striving to earn a living in the country. People are so money-oriented so much that they don't think of the safety of their lives and other road users. Poverty is an absolute cause for this as people lack resources that would support them in their day to day lives and the lives of their families. They resort to all means of getting money to support them however reckless the means are.

A truck carrying a load that would require two trucks to carry.

Partially anxiety has also played its role in this as people are so anxious for money other than the love and quality for their work and services offered on the road. For example a bodaboda(motorcycle) rider waking up in the morning with a target of making Ushs 10,000 by noon. He'll do all it takes to make this money by that time whether it means carrying overload or riding at a breakneck speed while carrying customers, not putting into consideration his safety and that of other road users and rather takes money a priority and safety on the road an option.

A rider carrying seven children on a main road

The fate of misusing the road is so grave and absurd with over 200,000 accident victims every year including those who are hospitalized and those who die.

A case in point is the image below where a taxi came into collision with a speeding truck as it was trying to avoid hitting an overtaking motorcycle by diverging to the other side of the road and came into collision with this truck. 14 people lost their lives on spot, with 8 escaping with severe injuries.