Kampala, Sep 16 : A total of 239 schoolchildren have been killed in road accidents in the past nine months, Ugandan police said, warning motorists to be more careful as the third term began on Monday.

The children, aged between five and 18, were killed while being dropped off or picked up from school in the past two terms, Michael Kananura, public relations officer for the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, told reporters in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on Monday.

He urged parents, teachers, and motorists to take responsibility and ensure the safety of pupils and students as the three-month new term opened, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Road safety remains not only an individual responsibility but also a collective responsibility. We all have roles to play to ensure that our school-going children are safe on the roads," said Kananura. "It is advisable that when young children are being taken to school using motorcycles, parents should always escort them, and it's also important that you get these children wearing helmets."

Uganda registers about 20,000 road accidents nationwide each year, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths, according to police data.

/IANS