Developing Public Awareness Communication Strategy for Road Safety Good Practice Norm Presenting Author: Joseph Rwothumio Authors: Wilson Okaka1 and Joseph Rwothumio Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda 1 Email:
[email protected] 2 Email:
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4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
INTRODUCTION ⚫
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Public awareness communication strategy is one of the preconditions for public road use good practices for safety standards to curb Uganda’s alarming but preventable RTAs . Lack of effective evaluation of road traffic carnage advocacy campaigns by agencies is partly responsible for the national heavy health burden, death tolls, disabilities, and poverty. Effective public awareness communication campaigns will enable local communities, families, institutions, or individuals to access road safety information services on the RTAs. Uganda’s public communication strategy regarding the road safety standards, regulations, or policies is not effective yet. Uganda lacks a national inclusive health insurance policy.
4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
PROBLEM STATEMENT ⚫
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Although Uganda has developed and approved a multitude of national of national road and road use safety standards, policies, and regulations in the country, the frequency and intensity of the national road traffic accidents (RTAs) record has continued to be ranked or rated among the worst in the world in recent decades. This status still remains unabated. Most RTAs that regularly happen in Uganda are preventable because the Ugandan traffic police often attribute them to human factors or errors like: over speeding, drink-driving, poor mechanical conditions, wrong parking, or recklessness. Many RTA offences are prosecuted but there are common issues of slow court process and traffic police bribery cases. 4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
the OBJECTIVES ⚫
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To highlight the common causes of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in every part of the county; To identify the types of impacts of RTAs on the vulnerable or potential victims across Uganda; To profile the benefits of national public awareness communication strategy in enhancing road use good practice and safety standards to reduce or stop the current incidents of RTAs in Uganda, To discuss effective road policy communication to create, raise, or sustain awareness of the RTAs.
4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
METHODOLOGY ⚫
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This review was informed by the national road act of Uganda, road policy analysis, published evidence on the current TRAs in Uganda, with more data sought from the databases of national, regional, WHO, and other international agencies. Data were obtained from road policy documents, research findings, public healthcare communication theories, and internet searches conducted on policy communication strategy with a focus on Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the second national health policy and national occupational health policy of Uganda. Additional data were obtained from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), and regular media coverage of RTAs in from across the country.
4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
RESULTS -1 OF 2 ⚫
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Effective national RTAs public awareness communication campaign regarding RTAs in Eastern African countries like Uganda plays a role to reduce, reverse, and stop the heavy RTAs, and promote behaviour change for prudent road use good practice, or improve coordination of stakeholders in traffic economics; or mitigate the adverse impacts of RTAs RTAs is a disaster to Uganda national development plan; RTAs key policy awareness foci are: individuals, families or households, communities, business or entrepreneurs, civil society, institutions, the government, UN, and donors. Road use safety policy communication should apply ICTs. Safe road use should by promoted by the local media.
4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
RESULTS – 2 OF 2 •
Ugandan traffic police often attribute the common causes of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in the county to mostly human factors like; reckless driving, alcoholism ,drug abuse, over : speeding, poor mechanical conditions, unauthorised drivers. • The medical reports often types of impacts of RTAs on the vulnerable or potential victims across Uganda as; death, critical injuries, traumas, physical disabilities or impairments. • Benefits of public awareness communication strategy include: enhanced road use good practice and safety standards and reduced incidents or prevented RTAs, • Low public awareness road policy issues increases RTAs. • Effective communication for behaviour change enhances good practice norm for road safety standards in Uganda/ 4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
CONCLUSIONS ⚫Effective national public awareness communication campaign on RTAs in Uganda, because it could reduce, reverse, and stop the current heavy road death tolls; promote behaviour change for prudent road use good practice, improve the coordination of the major stakeholders in transport economics; to mitigate the impacts of RTAs on national development plan. ⚫Public campaigns are participatory, local community driven, gender equality sensitive, and evidence based evaluation to: reach, attract attention or belief, craft easy to grasp messages, cause individual behaviour and institutional or national policy change in conformity with the legal Road Act and Uganda National Road Authority policy or mandates on road safety. 4THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
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2018 4th IPC Psychology Association of Kenya Secretariat. Guests of the 4th IPC Psychology Association of Kenya Secretariat 4th IPC Organising Special Sub - Committees, Sponsors; The Vice Chancellor, University Councils, Managements, Students, Technical, Support, and Administration Staff of Kyambogo university, Kyambogo, Kampala, Uganda and the Keynote Speakers at the forum. Secretariat Special Committees for the 4th IPC 2018 forum Chairs, Press, Rapporteurs, Presenters, Exhibitors, & all Guests. Thank You for Your Kind Attention. May God Bless You All.
4.THNTERNATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONGRESS 2018, 20 - 23 NOVEMBER 2018, KWALE, KENYA
