Background Road crashes continue to persist on Ugandan roads despite the government’s commendable efforts over many years. This study sought to explore the persistent causes of road crashes, suggest recommendations and evaluate the costs incurred by the government for treating accident victims. Methods A rapid cross-sectional study involving both quantitative and qualitative study approaches was performed. Desk reviews and six key informant interviews were conducted with traffic police officers and hospital administrators. Traffic road accident data were abstracted from the Uganda Police Force database for the period of January 2021 to February 2022, to ascertain the magnitude of the problem and its causes. Results The causes of road accidents are mainly caused by to human error, weather and the poor state of some roads. The government spends reasonable amounts of money in treating accident victims, at USD 245–3590, yet the funds could instead be used to promote socio-economic development in communities. Conclusion Road crashes continue to occur in Uganda, mainly because of human error. We recommend amelioration of the identified causes of road traffic crashes to save lives and conserve limited public resources.

Road crashes continue to persist on Ugandan roads even with the commendable efforts that the government has been implementing for so many years. This study sought to explore the persistent causes of road crashes, suggest recommendations and evaluate the cost of treating accident victims by government. Methods: A rapid cross-sectional study involving both quantitative and qualitative study approaches was used. Desk reviews and 6 key informant interviews were conducted with Traffic Police Officers; Hospital Administrators.Traffic road accidents data was abstracted from the Uganda Police Force Database for the period of January 2021 to February 2022, to ascertain the magnitude of the problem and its causes. Results The causes of road accidents are mainly due to human error, weather and poor state of some roads. The government spends a lot to treat accident victims between Ug shs 930,000 to Ug sh 13,660,000 and yet this money could have been used to promote socio-economic development in the communities. Conclusion: Road crashes continue to occur in Uganda mainly due to human error. Suggested interventions have to be focused on addressing these identified causes to help in reducing the high costs of treatment of these victims that government incurs daily.