592 Collaborative efforts to prevent injuries and fatalities on the road in Uganda

<h3>Background</h3> Acknowledging that Road Safety is a shared responsibility that requires a multi-faceted approach, it was important to have all actors understand this and work to complement other actors’ efforts to bring about a decrease in the number of injuries and fatalities from road crashes. In the Low- and Middle-income countries, agencies of government and CSOs work in silos hence undermining each other’s efforts. This was the same prior to this Intervention. It was important to ensure coordination of interventions by supporting the lead agency- Department of Transport Regulation and safety take the coordination role. <h3>Objective</h3> Improve coordination to reduce injuries and fatalities from road crashes. <h3>Programme Description</h3> To reduce road carnage, GHAI aimed to organize all actors towards a common goal with identified objectives and strategies. The National Road Safety Action Plan was identified as the avenue through which this could be achieved. Actors like the academia, CSOs, enforcement agencies and government departments were rallied to develop the action plan which was used by CSOs to advocate for increased budget to finance initiatives to reduce injuries and fatalities. <h3>Outcomes and Learnings</h3> With improvement in coordination and collaboration, Uganda saw several revision of laws and policies, development of standards, increase in budget allocation and; increased and coordinated enforcement coupled with education to road users. Through this process, we learnt that we all have a role to play and that coordinated efforts was key. Education and enforcement should go hand in hand for increased reach. Clear blue print developed with good understanding should be central in designing programmes to reduce injuries and fatalities from road crashes. <h3>Implications</h3> CSOs are often seen as antagonists. Road safety is an issue that needs everyone’s attention hence the need for CSOs to work with government to draw attention to the issues amidst competing demands. Other countries need to look at how to objectively engage with CSOs. <h3>Conclusions</h3> With organized groups of various stakeholders all working towards the implementation of a multi-year action plan jointly developed, we see systematic interventions implemented in a complementary manner to reduce injuries and fatalities from road crashes in Uganda.