| dc.description.abstract | A blackspot is a location on a road where at least four fatal accidents have happened in the past three years. These locations are quite numerous on Ugandan roads, yet they are not identified and marked by the road authorities. This research aims to redefine the existing criteria used by Uganda in identifying blackspots.
Police accident data for the past five years, starting from 2017 to 2022, was collected and used to identify accident blackspots along the section of the road within the Katonga subregion using criteria developed in this research.
The criteria used in the identification of accident blackspots in five developed countries were also studied and compared with what is used in Uganda, and several definitions were adopted based on those used in the developed countries.
This report also concentrated on analyzing the current driver behavior at the identified blackspots. This was achieved by conducting interviews, recording the spot speeds of vehicles, and making observations at selected black spots. Traffic police officers, drivers, and roadside traders were interviewed about the behavior of drivers as they traversed these locations. Spot speeds of vehicles were also recorded using a speed gun, and observations were made and recorded as the drivers passed these locations. This exercise was carried out at blackspots located in two horizontal curves, two trading centers, and one swamp.
Also, the research determined the level of public awareness of the impacts of road traffic accidents. These impacts included physical impacts, emotional impacts, social impacts, and economic impacts. This was achieved through a series of interviews administered to the public. Traffic police officers, roadside traders, and drivers were interviewed.
To the existing criteria being used by Uganda, new components have been incorporated, such as the application of a sliding window and a weighted accident severity index, considering a section of 500m and a period of 5 years. Furthermore, it was found that most of the public is aware of the impacts of road traffic accidents. There are cases of over-speeding, reckless driving, distracted driving, and fatigued driving that are common among the drivers along this highway.
It was found that Uganda does not have well-defined criteria for the identification of blackspots along its roads. Blackspots have been identified using the accident numbers and, to a lesser extent, the accident severity. Nine accident blackspots have been identified by the criteria developed in this research along the section of the road under consideration, of which three are along horizontal curves and six are at busy trading centers. Similar research conducted by NCTTCA along this same route identified 10 blackspots along this same section of the road under consideration. It was found that 59% of the population is aware of the impacts of road traffic accidents, leaving 41% unaware of these impacts. The study further reveals that driver behaviors of careless driving and over-speeding fatigued driving exist among the drivers along this route. | en_US |
