New 2025 Speed Limits in Uganda: Essential Driver Guide
Uganda‘s new speed limit regulations, effective from February 14, 2025, introduce significant changes to enhance road safety nationwide. These regulations replace the previous framework from 2004 and set tailored speed limits based on road types and vehicle categories to reduce accidents and protect vulnerable road users.
Key Speed Limits:
- Urban Areas and Trading Centers: A uniform speed limit of 30 km/h applies to all vehicles, including passenger cars, motorcycles, public service vehicles, and goods vehicles. This limit specifically covers roads adjacent to schools, churches, hospitals, markets, and business centers, which are considered high-risk zones due to heavy pedestrian and vehicular interaction.
- Highways: The maximum speed limit is set at 100 km/h for passenger vehicles on major highways and expressways, aligning with international standards. However, highways passing through urban areas have a reduced limit of 50 km/h.
- Paved Roads: Speed limits range between 30 km/h and 90 km/h depending on vehicle classification, with motorcycles capped at 60 km/h.
- Gravel Roads: Vehicles are restricted to speeds between 30 km/h and 60 km/h, while motorcycles must not exceed 30 km/h.
- Community Access Roads: A blanket speed limit of 30 km/h applies to all vehicle types.
Penalties for Violations:
- Exceeding the speed limit by 1–30 km/h attracts a fine of UGX 200,000 (10 currency points).
- Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 km/h results in a fine of UGX 600,000 (30 currency points).
The regulations emphasize that ignorance of the law is no defense, and enforcement is ongoing nationwide. Authorities highlight that slowing down significantly reduces accident severity and saves lives, underscoring the shared responsibility of all road users to promote safer roads.
These updated speed limits and stricter penalties reflect Uganda’s commitment to reducing road traffic fatalities, which remain a critical public safety concern, especially given the high incidence of accidents involving motorcycles and motor vehicles.
In summary, every driver in Uganda in 2025 should be aware that urban speed limits are now 30 km/h in designated high-risk areas, highways allow up to 100 km/h, and penalties for speeding have increased substantially to deter reckless driving and improve overall road safety.
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