Police admit traffic system issues fines to wrong vehicles

The Directorate of Traffic Police has admitted that some motorists are receiving erroneous Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) tickets because officers mistype vehicle registration numbers when entering them into the system.

Traffic and Road Safety spokesperson Michael Kananura said today, Monday, that the errors occur when an officer enters a registration number incorrectly, sometimes missing a single digit, causing the system to generate a fine against a different vehicle.

The admission follows complaints on social media, including from academic and human rights and social activist Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, who said he had been stopped and informed that he had an outstanding ticket whose timing he disputed.

Another motorist, Denis Woniala, said his friend, who drives a Toyota Spacio registration number UBB 881F, received a fine whose attached image showed a Nissan X-Trail bearing the same number plate. Several other motorists have raised similar complaints.

Kananura said genuine system errors would be investigated and the fines transferred to the rightful offenders, but cautioned that many disputed tickets were legitimate.

He advised affected motorists to report to Room 72 at Traffic Police Headquarters in Nateete or call during working hours to have their tickets verified and corrected where necessary.

Kananura on wrongful fines

Traffic Police also identified three other situations that can lead to disputes over fines. These include vehicles bought with outstanding penalties incurred by previous owners, vehicles fined while in the custody of mechanics or borrowers who did not inform the owners, and penalties that take time to reflect following the migration from old to digital number plates, a process that can take about three weeks.

Beyond errors involving registration numbers, some motorists have accused traffic officers of demanding bribes ranging from Shs 20,000 to Shs 50,000 at checkpoints and issuing EPS tickets when drivers refuse to pay. Others say they receive fines without a clear explanation of the alleged offences.

Additional complaints concern tickets bearing images of the wrong vehicles or fines allegedly issued at locations motorists say they never visited. Some have also questioned the use of security cameras in traffic enforcement.

Motorcyclists, pedestrians dominate road deaths

In a separate development, Traffic Police have raised concern over the high proportion of road fatalities involving motorcyclists and pedestrians.

The two groups accounted for 76 per cent of road deaths recorded last week, with boda boda riders and passengers representing 46 per cent and pedestrians 30 per cent, according to Traffic Police.

Four fatal crashes in Ggaba, Kakumiro, Sembabule and Buikwe claimed nine lives. The crashes were attributed to factors including speeding, dangerous overtaking at bends, overloading, riding against the flow of traffic and failure to wear crash helmets.

Traffic Police also said 92 suspects arrested during drink-driving operations last weekend were expected to appear in court on Monday. The arrests brought the number of suspects apprehended during two weekends of operations targeting weekend crashes to 216.

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