Statistics released by the traffic police direct shows 4,806 people were killed in 2023 in road crashes translating into 13 deaths per day.
Data compiled and now made public today shows deaths in traffic crashes have increased from 12 people per day according the 4,534 killed in 2022 to 13. The traffic statistics were presented by acting director of traffic police, Lawrence Niwabiine.
Police have explained that out of the 4,806 deaths, pedestrians accounted for 1,675 persons, motorcyclists were 1,520, passengers on motorcycles were 614, passengers in other vehicles were 324 while drivers were 232.
Most of people killed in road crashes were pedestrians whose deaths increased from 1579 in 2022 to 1675 in 2023, motorcyclists fatalities increased from 1404 in 2022 to 1520 in 2023, motorcycle passenger deaths increased from 552 to 614 while driver deaths increased from 198 to 232.
Niwabiine explained that majority of the traffic offences were about driving vehicles in dangerous mechanical conditions and they increased from 92,029 in 2022 to 99068 in 2023. Obstruction on a road by loading or offloading increased from 20,063 in 2022 to 95,676 in 2023.
Traffic data also shows private vehicles were mostly involved in road crashes in 2023 at 2,0210, unknown vehicles were 1,254, foreign registered vehicles were 846, central government vehicles were 255, NGO vehicles were 147, police vehicles were 91, army vehicles were 76 and 11 prisons vehicles.
“Most of the crashes that both fatal and serious occur between 6pm and 8pm. These are followed by cashes that occur between 4pm and 5pm,” Niwabiine said.
Other than the increase in the number of road deaths in 2023, statistics show that people sustaining life threatening injuries also increased from 15,227 in 2022 to 16,736 in 2023.
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