One-fourth of deaths per year in Sri Lanka attributed to road accidents

One-fourth of the deaths reported in Sri Lanka are due to road accidents, the Traffic Administration and Road Safety Division of Sri Lanka Police reveals.

Director of the Traffic Administration and Road Safety Division, DIG Indika Hapugoda states that most of the road accidents involve motorcycles.

“About 12,000 people die a year in Sri Lanka. A quarter of these deaths, which amounts to around 3,000, are caused by traffic violations. As per calculations, approximately 7-8 individuals lose their lives daily.”

Furthermore, DIG Hapugoda mentioned that, according to the statistics of the Traffic Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Police, 1,500 people have thus far lost their lives in 1,427 fatal road accidents between January 01 and August 31, 2023.

“Notably, about one-third of these road deaths are caused by motorcycle accidents”, he added, emphasizing that so far in 2023, a total of 630 motorcyclists have lost their lives in 612 accidents.

“We can, of course, reduce these accidents.”

DIG Hapugoda highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) hopes to reduce this figure by 50% by the year 2030.

“However, if we could reduce the current number of 07 deaths per day to 04, it will be a huge victory for us”, he added.

Moreover, he stated that during recent raids, 94 bus drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs including heroin.