Driving in Uganda and Theft

The other day I read that someone had once observed that the only African in a hurry is the African behind the wheel of a car. Strangely that’s true. Ugandans walk painfully slowly and are usually intolerably late. When you bump into someone on the street you have to stop to talk to them. Often the riveting conversation goes like this: “How is Entebbe? How are you? How is here? Well done!” I personally hate these conversations but they’re useful when you bump into someone you have nothing to say to. So according to these examples, Africans have time.

But behind the wheel of a car? I always sit in the back because my nerves cannot handle the front seat, although often people seem to think that the mzungu should have the honor of sitting there. They race along the roads, sometimes with two vehicles passing another vehicle at the same time, with oncoming traffic. The shoulder of the road certainly gets a lot of use here. So driving can be quite the thrill. Uganda actually has the second highest motor vehicle accident rate in the world, behind Ethiopia, which is surprising, considering it has one of the lowest car per capita rates.

The interesting thing, however, is that I haven’t witnessed many accidents. Only a small tap here and there. When I was in Mexico I was always reminded of the dangers of driving by crosses on the road and people walking around with neck braces, but here? Only the occasionally newspaper story. I do know two people who have been in accidents however, both surviving with only minor bruises and shock. One of them was my coworker. He was riding his motorcycle home after a day in the field and wiped out. Some people came to help him; others tried to steal motorcycle. And this is common. If you have a car accident in a remote area and survive, there is a chance that someone might come and hit you over the head in order to steal your things. For some people that is even their work – they hide at blind spots on the road and wait for accidents to happen. I also spoke with an American girl who passed out on the road from malaria and people rushed to snatch her handbag. So even when not fit or unconscious, you must always watch out for thieves. Yet while this all sounds very alarming, I like to believe that the majority of people here would actually help you when in need.