The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented to implement the ‘Road Protection Action Plan - 2025-2026’, to improve the quality of road infrastructure and minimize road accidents.

According to currently available data, Sri Lanka is encountering a serious and recurring issue with road accidents and loss of life and the annual death rate has been reported as 11.2 per 10,000 persons.

This exceeds the recommended and United Nations-approved protection limit for the second global action decade (2021-2030) for road safety.

According to the data and reports of Sri Lanka Police, 118,697 road accidents have been reported during the period 2020-2024; as a consequence, 12,322 people have died.

Furthermore, it has been reported that about 400 accidents have occurred due to the unprotected status of railway crossings.

Therefore, the necessity of improving the quality of the infrastructure of the roads has been identified, ensuring that vehicles are used in a secure manner and regulating the said vehicles in order to minimise the increasing deaths and damage and to create secure roads for motorists.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to implement ‘the Road Protection Action Plan - 2025-2026.