Self-driving in Uganda is becoming the ‘order of the day’ as it is highly liked by many travelers. But since this is new country that you are driving into, you expect to experience some new changes in driving but all in all first focus on your self-protection on road.
Self-protection is done by you, whereby you ensure that you are free from any occurrence of needless injury, danger, or loss while driving in Uganda. Are you asking yourself how you can safe-guard/self-protect yourself from the needless dangers while driving? Well, below are some of the best 6 tips for self-protection in self-driving in Uganda – the Pearl of Africa:
Check the car thoroughly well
It is no other’s life, so mind much about your life and never mess with it in any way or the other. After you have received your hired car from a given rental company, consider checking the car, together with the company’s guides, to confirm that the car you are taking on your self-drive is in a superlative condition.
Don’t just take your life for granted by letting the company deceive you that all is well with the car without you even taking a simple survey on it before taking it on a self-drive trip.
Therefore, first at least examine the car with much care and verify that it is in a fine condition and ensure that everything on it works well. Also check the car’s wheels whether are all in a good state, but also don’t forget to carry a spare wheel with you on your self-drive trip – it is your company to provide it.
Keep Left
Obviously, everyone can easily know how difficult it is to adapt to new challenges, and so it is in driving. When you have been driving on your right-hand side of the road, it will really perplex you at times when you are driving in a country which drives on left hand side, and the reverse is true. But it is good now that you have known earlier that in Uganda you are entitled to keep left while driving and you have to adapt to that earlier and with a very quick reaction.
Therefore, you should not reach Uganda and continue driving on your right because you will cause problems for yourself. But don’t dare get worried because you will now be driving on a left-hand side yet you have been driving on right, only you need to do is concentration and listen to the counseling given to you by your company’s guides. And it is by the way almost the same thing, you have been driving on right, yes, and now you are driving on the left, only the driving sides change nothing else!
Minimize speed
Remember you are neither driving in UK nor in USA but in Uganda where the roads are not of a first-class as in UK and USA. Yes, there are certain roads in Uganda which are very good and better but not all of the country’s roads, especially those in national parks where most travelers are interested in. Therefore, do not drive at a very high speed as you have been driving – on Uganda’s highways you are recommended to drive at a speed of 80Km/hr well as in its national parks you are entitled to drive at a speed of as low as 40Km/hr, maximum. To take note of; high speeding is one of the major causes of accidents in Uganda – be aware!!
Follow traffic rules
Also, to avoid interruptions in your self-drive trip, you should take the Uganda traffic rules as vital and never try to break any of them as you will be penalized. Try looking for the traffic rules in Uganda before even accessing the country – your operator can help you know them.
However, among the traffic rules in Uganda include; do not drink and drive – not even driving while drunk, do not use your phone whilst driving, do not drive at a speed exceeding 100km/hr, follow all the road signs and symbols where applicable, police phone number is 999 for any emergency, minimum age for driving is 18 years, and you should also have a driving permit, among others.
Make use of the seat belts
As already noted above, you should first ensure that the car you are taking is in a very good condition and all its belongings function very well, including the seat belts. Make sure that the car you are taking has seat belts and are functioning very well, and always remember to take advantage of them (seat belts). Don’t ever take a car without good functioning seat belts simply because the belts are very essential in the unforeseen stops/breaks by the driver. The seat belts have many advantageous uses, so don’t ever sit in a car when you have not tied up the seat belt.
Valid driving license
It is of course a must for every driver in Uganda to have a driving permit/license but all in all, the permit has to be valid and should have been operating for at least the last 12 months. You will face the consequences if you dare drive with an invalid driving permit and get caught, however, this happens rarely because even before being rented a car, the rental company will first cross check if your permit is valid or not.