DRIVING|TRAVELLING|NOISE

So, you are happily driving around during the festive season and because you are in a festive mood, you increase the volume of your car audio system.

The music is nice, so you shake your head along. Shaking the head along is not enough, so the legs join. Soon, the hands will also be swinging. You are doing this while driving.

Putting loud music while driving is a popular way to pass time, but motorists can land themselves into trouble by doing such, like causing accidents on the roads, which, in most cases, cause loss of lives.

Uganda is rated among the top or leading countries in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in the world, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) road safety assessments.

Ivan Matovu, a special hire driver in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb, testifies that last month he almost met his death because of listening to loud music while driving.

According to the Traffic Police report for 2017, at least 3,500 people died in accidents around the country, with the festive seasons accounting for a big number of these fatal accidents.

Road accidents While it is totally legal to listen to music while on the road, turning the volume up could cause you accidents and impound your car. When your mind is fed up with many things, this increases the risk of losing control of a vehicle, hence causing accidents.

Ivan Matovu, a special hire driver in Kiwatule, a Kampala suburb, testifies that last month he almost met his death because of listening to loud music while driving.

"I was heading to Bweyogerere at around 8:00 pm, from Mbuya to Jokers junction in Bweyegorere, Wakiso district, because of the huge traffic flow, vehicles were moving at a snail speed. The music I was listening to had taken up my attention and I forgot that I had packed at the railway. With loud music on, I saw people waving at me and what came into my mind was that they were also enjoying the music I was playing at the time. At this moment, I could not even hear that the train was hooting, until two men hit my car to show me how close the train was,'' he narrates.

Road accidents While it is totally legal to listen to music while on the road, turning the volume up could cause you accidents and impounding of your car.

Matovu said: "I would be dead by now, but it was God's mercy. After the incident, I switched off the radio.

Loss of concentration According to Arnold Nkalubo, an audiologist at Mulago Hospital, a person loses concentration while operating the vehicle with loud music on. "A driver should have all five senses used at ago while on the road because the brain is always poor at doing multiple tasks," he says.

"First of all, loud music inconveniences and so one is unable to hear anything going on around them because much concentration is put on music other than other road users," he adds.

"Much of the concentrating is taken up by the music, or breaking news on one's favourite radio station and so the driver forgets about the car in front and behind,'' Nkalubo explains.

Apart from this music coming out directly from speakers of the vehicles, other drivers use headphones instead to play music. He says this is a bad vice because it distracts one from paying attention to the road, as well as other road users.

Noise levels

The National Environment Management Authority (Noise Standards and Control) regulations, 2003 (under section 28 and 107 of the National Environment Act Cap 153) stipulates that no person shall emit noise in excess of the permissible noise level unless permitted by a license.

So, although you are in a festive mood, mind your car radio.

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By NewVision Reporter

Journalists @NewVision