Military to help Traffic Police deal with vehicles violating the right of way

Traffic Police have enlisted the services of the Military Police to deal with motorists who have the habit of deliberately breaking traffic rules.

Traffic Police spokesperson Faridah Nampiima said they will now work with the police’s Field Force Unit and Military Police to deal with rampant road users.

She said the Directorate of Traffic Police has commenced an operation to bring sanity to the roads during peak hours of early mornings and evenings.

Nampiima warned that police will remove all sirens and flashlights from vehicles not authorized to have them and by law don’t have a right of way.

“All these vehicles will be impounded, inspected by the inspectorate of vehicles, and later on, fines will be imposed on all culprits,” she said.

She asked drivers to respect traffic officers once stopped along the road.

She warned all garages that install sirens and flashlights on vehicles which are not authorized to have them.

She asked mechanics to stop such installations before being arrested.

Section 123 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998 gives the right of way to emergency vehicles defined as “a motor vehicle, trailer or engineering plant for the purpose of the police, ambulances, motor vehicles of armed forces and such other vehicles that may be designated by the minister by a statutory order.”

The President’s convoy is listed under emergency vehicles along with the Vice President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Prime Minister. Others who enjoy the right of way include visiting dignitaries.

By press time, Nampiima revealed that 80 vehicles had been impounded since launch or the operation in the morning.

“The operation has already started and it is being conducted countrywide though currently, we have statistics from Kampala metropolitan only,” she noted.

The operation doesn’t spare government, police or military personnel who are not by law entitled to the right way.

And with that, Nampiima said drivers who abuse military attires like jackets by placing them on car seats will be arrested and their cars impounded.

“If you have a habit of putting a military jacket or police jacket on the seat in your car, remove it with immediate effect before your vehicle is impounded and the case handed over to military police,” she warned.