{Government plans to introduce a road safety charge to be levied on motorists.}
The new fees would be imposed each time one’s vehicle is inspected and through insurance cover.
The money collected would then be used to sponsor road safety campaigns according to Mr Ronald Amanyire, the Road Safety Council secretary.
“We want to coordinate with the insurance association to have a road safety levy on motor vehicle insurance. We are also targeting vehicle inspection, which is starting next year. The levy will go to sustaining road safety campaigns,” Mr Amanyire said in his office in Kampala on Monday.
Cabinet has already passed the Road Safety Policy, which allows police to collect the levies.
The details of how much would be charged will be detailed in the policy, according to Mr Amanyire.
He said the collected money will be used to sensitise road users, enforcement of road safety standards in the country and also fund research focused on solving road carnage.
Alluding to the failed enforcement of seatbelts and speed governors, Mr Amanyire said the biggest challenge in containing road accidents has been lack of a sustainable mechanism both at funding level and implementation of policies.
“We don’t want to start a road safety campaign and it ends. With sustainable funding, you can have a long-lasting campaign strategy because every day you get a new driver on the road. You also need to remind the experienced drivers of their obligation,” he said.
“If we start a campaign, we want to know what the effects are. You cannot justify to the political leadership without research. They need to know the impact after enforcing the policy. We need to monitor its effectiveness,” Mr Amanyire said.
The policy also puts the responsibility of constructing roads with safety standards on the government.
“Most of the old road designs do not provide walkways for pedestrians and cyclists. With this policy, the government must construct roads that address all these safety challenges,” he said.
In the policy, Mr Amanyire said, it is a prerequisite for a person learning to drive to pass the driving theory test before they are allowed to proceed with the practical ones.
Source:Daily Monitor:[Government to introduce road safety tax->http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Government-to-introduce-road-safety-tax/-/688334/3014326/-/ofj8puz/-/index.html]
Leave a Reply