| dc.description.abstract | Transport plays a crucial role in urban development by providing access to goods and
services. These roles include access to education, markets, employments centers,
recreation, health care and the key services especially in cities of developing world. This
has enhanced mobility for the poor and vulnerable group. (Chapter 4- sustainable Urban
Development: Shanghai Manual- A guide for sustainable urban development).
However, it has come up with various negative impacts and greatly contributing to loss of
lives of people in the world through accidental fatalities and injuries where the most
affected road users are pedestrians.
Each year, more than 270,000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world‟s roads. (WHO, 2013).
Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths, with the highest in African region at 38%
and lowest in South-East Asia region at 12%. Millions of people are injured in traffic related
crashes while walking, some of whom become permanently disabled. These occurrences cause
much suffering and misery as well as economic adversity for families and loved ones (WHO,
2013). Recent conventional estimates suggest that, in 1999, between 750,000 and 880,000 people
died as a direct result of road accidents. About 85 percent of these deaths occurred in developing
countries and about one-half were in urban areas (WHO, 1999).
Uganda has not been spared from the heavy burden of road traffic Incidences. At present, it
experiences deaths at 28.9 per 100,000 population. (WHO, 2015). This is quite concerning as it
even exceeds the 24.1 per 100,000 population for the AFRO and 18.0 per 100,000 population
global average for deaths respectively. As a result, Uganda is among the top-ranking countries
for Road Traffic Incidences s along with South Africa, Nigeria, Iran, Thailand and Dominican
Republic at 31.9; 33.7; 34.1; 38.1; and 41.7 per 100,000 populations, respectively. (WHO 2015)
The trend of Uganda‟s road traffic incidences is further echoed by the solid evidence signifying
traffic injuries within the top-ten causes of mortality in the country. Accordingly, not less than
1,000 and 10,000 victims were killed and injured respectively due to Road Traffic Incidences in
Uganda between 2010 and 2013. This has been reported in the annual traffic and crime reports of
the Uganda Police Force. (UPF 2012, 2013 and 2014). This has cost Uganda dearly particularly
in terms of the loss of a significant proportion of its economically active population, which in
turn retards its economic growth and development. | en_US |
