Before driving in a strange nation it’s better to know the safety guidelines that will ensure your safety on a safari. Many people drive recklessly that in turn have ended up to accidents, below are some of the guidelines that will ensure your safety on your self-drive safari to Uganda.
Avoid drinking& drive
Many accidents in Uganda happen as a result of alcohol, many drivers drive when drunk, this has led to thousands of deaths in Uganda;however this can only be avoided if someone drives when not drunk. The traffic police of Uganda have done a good job in arresting those who drive when drunkard which has popularly been termed as Kawunyemu which signifies the way drivers are tested for any alcohol by the police once stopped and hundreds are now under cells out of this factor. When someone is drunk can’t be stable, can react and time the way he/she likes and also lost the vision causing a driver to make stupid choices on the road.
Don’t drive tired
In case you have a long drives please have enough sleep and also eat well before you start your trip. Driving when tired is really a very big risk as you can doze while on the steering that can put both your life and others in danger as you can easily cause an accident since you can lose the concentration on the road. If you are feeling drowsy, pull over and take a short break at a restaurant or gardens, refresh yourself with drinks and snacks and then hit the open road again, you can do this at any time for a long trip. If you have someone who knows how to drive please share driving responsibilities that can also help.
Avoid Interruptions
Avoid using cell phone when driving, many accidents all over Africa have been reported due to this and a strict law against use of cell phones when driving have been passed. Talking one phone or texting can cause loss of focus and the next thing is to know when hitting into another car or pedestrian off road. Not only phone calls, but also eating when driving, talking with passages among others can all lead you to loss of concentration and the end result may be causing an accident. So try to keep your eye on the road.
Wear Your Seat Belt
Always drive your car with a seat belt strapped on you or the passenger, this is a must and traffic officers in Uganda are always catching up with such offenders on a daily basis, this is very important because it keeps your life safely when driving as it can save your life during a car crash as it will hold you down and prevent you from being thrown around inside a car or blended out through a windshield.
Acquaint yourself with the car
In case you’ve hired from a car rental service in Uganda or in any other country, try to utilize the first 10-15 minutes while Familiarizing yourself with a car including checking brakes, headlights, engine, radio, heat/air-conditioner also try to check the mirror to see whether its where you can view the cars coming from behind. Hence this can save you from sudden distractions while driving which can also help you from unnecessary accidents.
Avoid Over speeding
Over 90% of road accidents not only in Uganda but also in the entire world are as a result of over speeding cars. Whether you are speeding to catch a meeting, a flight or anything that can lead you to over speed this is very bad over speed always kills. Try to drive reasonably and avoid unnecessarily over taking cars. Those above and may others if we followed can help you to reach safely.
