Individuals often seem to give in to impatience or absent-minded speediness when behind the wheel of an automobile. If you’ve decided to drive more slowly, whether for road conditions, enforcement, safety in general, or for better fuel economy, here is how to go about it in Uganda. With the growing trend on renting 4×4 cars in Uganda for road tripping, it is very important to be in the know of how you can travel around Uganda easily.

Allow ample time to get where you are going. Forget preparation time. If punctuality is critical, aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes early, or more. This extra time will allow for unforeseen circumstances, and if you do arrive early, it will give you time to collect yourself and your belongings before proceeding.

Assess conditions that might make faster driving hazardous. Driving slowly makes it easier to stop if roads are slippery, and gives you more response time if visibility is reduced. Think about the many times a person involved in an accident mentions that they were “doing the speed limit” as if that should have prevented it. The reality is that the speed limit is a guide for normal conditions and does not account for less safe driving conditions.

Practice accelerating and decelerating gently and gradually. Press the pedal lightly and your moves will be gradual. This will save on fuel, improve traction in slippery conditions, and help you maintain a slower overall speed.

Except in poor driving conditions, do not accelerate very slowly – keep up with traffic overall, at least the slower or more carefully driven vehicles like trucks and minivans. Accelerating too slowly leaves you in potentially dangerous areas such as intersections for periods unexpectedly long to others, can cause dangerous speed mismatches in merges, and can otherwise interfere with traffic patterns.

Braking gently saves wear on the brakes and it is less likely to cause you to skid. To brake gently, leave additional space between you and the car in front of you, and anticipate upcoming braking, such as corners, stoplights, and slow traffic ahead. Driving slowly helps maintain that space and gives you more time to react.

Be patient. It’s neither a race nor a time for zoning out. The objective is to get where you are going safely, staying alert and in control.

If you feel as though driving is a waste of time and you find yourself speeding just because you want to get the drive over with, see if you can reduce your commute -try driving earlier or later than usual when traffic lessens, or take public transportation.

Drive the speed of traffic, provided it is safe for conditions. As noted earlier, the speed limits themselves do not indicate the perfect speed for poor conditions and you’ll need to use your common sense for that. However, if the traffic speed is reasonable and is setting a comfortable pace, this can be a soothing and safe speed for driving and can help remove your desire to drive too fast. If your speed tends to inch up when you’re not paying attention, follow behind someone who is going a suitable, even speed. Keep a generous, constant distance.

Give others the space to pass. If the road you’re travelling has more than one lane in each direction, be courteous and use the lane going closest to your speed. If a narrower road has turnouts, use them to let anyone travelling faster behind you pass. You’ll know because they’ll be almost tailgating you!

If a narrow road does not have turnouts, find somewhere safe to stop, perhaps every fifteen to thirty minutes, to allow other cars to pass if you’re driving very slowly or many vehicles are accumulating behind you.

Use lower gears and let the engine slow the car when descending longer hills. This is easier on your brakes and it gives you more control.

Time traffic lights correctly.

A series of traffic lights, such as on a city street, is generally timed so that a batch of cars can travel through at about the speed limit. The best way to drive through these, where your abilities and traffic allow, is to accelerate promptly from any stop to the speed limit and to continue at that speed–no faster.

Please note that Uganda has got rules and regulations to follow on the road. There is no offense if you drive slowly but you will fall victim if you over speed on the Ugandan roads. Please be careful!