• 1,626 serious accidents recorded in 7 months; 41 more than 2025
• 749 motorcyclists killed, including 13 under-18 riders
• Helmet-related prosecutions rise 33% as enforcement intensifies

Sri Lanka recorded a rise in serious road accidents during the first seven months of 2026, with the Police reporting 1,626 cases between January and July – an increase of 2.6% compared to the same period last year, according to statistics revealed by the Traffic Management and Road Safety Division of the Police.  

Furthermore, Sri Lanka recorded 749 motorcycle deaths in the first seven months of 2026, with more than three riders losing their lives every day, according to statistics.

Between 1 January and 31 July, the Police filed 271,890 helmet-related cases – an average of 38,841 a month, or nearly 1,300 a day.

By comparison, 349,823 cases were filed throughout the whole of 2025, averaging 29,152 a month. Accordingly, the monthly rate of helmet-related prosecutions has risen by approximately 33% this year.

If enforcement continues at the same pace, the number of cases could reach about 466,000 by the end of 2026 – over 116,000 more than the total recorded last year.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Traffic Management and Road Safety Division Director Senior Superintendent of Police Manoj Ranagala said that an average of 107 motorcycle deaths had been recorded a month – more than three deaths a day.

At this rate, the annual toll could exceed 1,280 by the end of the year, he stressed.

Thirteen of the motorcyclists killed were under the age of 18, accounting for nearly 2% (1.74%) of the motorcycle death toll, according to SSP Ranagala.

The road accident numbers were disclosed by SSP Ranagala at a media briefing held at the Transport Ministry auditorium in Colombo on Friday (7) on helmet safety and measures being implemented under the National Road Safety Action Plan.

SSP Ranagala said that young people remained among the principal victims of fatal road crashes. He warned that some motorcyclists wore uncertified helmets or failed to fasten their chin straps properly, treating helmets as a means of avoiding Police action rather than essential protective equipment.

“Do not wear safety helmets simply to evade the law or avoid Police officers,” he said. “Wear them with your life and safety in mind, and keep them on until you reach your destination.”

Meanwhile, National Council for Road Safety Chairman Manjula Kularatne said more than 2,500 people died in road accidents annually, with motorcycle crashes accounting for over 1,000 deaths. Data showed that head injuries were responsible for a significant proportion of motorcyclist fatalities, he added.

Kularatne stressed that riders should use properly standardised helmets carrying Sri Lanka Standards certification.

The Transport, Highways, and Urban Development Ministry has introduced a two-year road safety programme comprising 96 measures. According to Kularatne, 30 have been physically implemented so far while work on the remaining measures continues.

A joint programme involving the Transport Ministry, Sri Lanka Standards Institution, Sri Lanka Police, and Consumer Affairs Authority is also being implemented to strengthen helmet standards and enforcement.

According to the figures recorded by the Police, Sri Lanka recorded its highest road fatality toll in six years in 2025, reversing the decline observed between 2021 and 2023. Police data show that fatal accidents increased by 16.4% between 2023 and 2025, while the number of deaths rose by 17.3%. In 2025 alone, 2,746 people were killed in 2,597 fatal accidents, an average of more than seven deaths every day.

The Government also noted that around 400 accidents occurred annually at unprotected railway crossings.