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UNMISS promotes road safety among boda boda riders in Eastern Equatoria

To promote road safety, UNMISS in Eastern Equatoria held a three-day awareness-raising workshop on traffic rules with 45 motorcyclists and traffic police.

Boda bodas or motorcycle taxis are a common mode of public transport across South Sudan. The UNMISS Field Office in Eastern Equatoria, in a bid to promote road safety, recently handed over helmets and refkective jackets to some 45 commercial cyclists.

This was part of a three-day awareness-raising campaign on road safety and accident investigation skills for boda boda riders and traffic officers organized jointly by United Nations Police officers and Rwandan peacekeepers serving with the mission.

“Many boda boda riders are not fully aware of traffic rules and regulations,” revealed Bijilio Odongi Risio, one of the cyclists participating in the event. “For instance, if you are riding behind me and you want to overtake me, you need to overtake me from the left not from the right side. Most road accidents that occur are because many riders don’t respect traffic laws.”

The campaign sought to highlight safety issues confronting commercial riders and how they can address them.  

“This exercise aimed at introducing participants to traffic rules and regulations so that they can be safe on the roads. There are many benefits of using safety equipment such as helmets and reflective jackets,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Islam Fadly, Police Adviser, UNMISS.

For many young people, boda bodas provide critical livelihood opportunities as they are able to generate a daily income for themselves and their families by ferrying passengers on their motorcycles from one town to the other.

“I am a cyclist who survived a fatal accident because I was wearing a helmet. I only hurt my feet because I was not wearing a protective shoe,” said Carlo Rugato Lopusa, another participant.

According to authorities in the state, the increase in road accidents involving boda bodas can be attributed to poor skills on the part of the motorcyclists.

“There have been many accidents and we all have heard about them. But have we asked what is causing them? They are triggered by lack of knowledge of traffic rules. Let us practice what we have learned here to save lives,” said Brigadier General Gasmiro Gaitano Okomos, acting Police Commissioner, Eastern Equatoria State.