• 8 fatalities per day now increased to 10-15

Road accidents have increased by around 115 during the first six months of the year compared to the corresponding period last year (2025), whereas the number of fatalities has risen by about 119, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Traffic Control and Road Safety, W P G Senadheera said.

Speaking at a special media briefing yesterday (11), he said that Sri Lanka continues to record an average of eight fatal road accidents a day, although it had reached between 10 and 15 on several recent days. He said that of the eight fatal accidents reported on Wednesday (10), five involved motorcycles, with many of the victims being young people aged 18, 20 and 25. Pedestrians and pillion riders are among those losing their lives in these incidents, he added.

Senadheera said that the number of road accidents has remained unchanged despite continuous enforcement and awareness programmes by the Police. He noted that motorcycle-related crashes involving young riders are becoming increasingly common and are creating a serious road safety issue.

Pointing out that motorcycles are primarily meant for transport and not racing, he said that Sri Lanka has about 5.1 million registered motorcycles out of its total vehicle population. He added that there are also around 1.2 million three-wheelers in the country.

Speaking further, he said that the Inspector General of Police had instructed the Traffic Division and all regional Police divisions to strictly enforce the law against motorcycles fitted with excessively noisy silencers. "Motorcycles found violating the regulations would be taken into Police custody, and their riders would also be subjected to drug tests."