Sri Lanka has seen roughly 2,000 deaths annually for the past five years due to road accidents with pedestrian deaths being the highest casualty last year, raising concerns about the overall road safety of vehicles in the country. 

Data obtained by The Sunday Morning from the National Council for Road Safety shows 22,786 road accidents until 30 November 2024, of which the majority were caused by motorcycles (7,854), followed by three wheelers (3,545) and cars (3,366). Dual purpose vehicles caused 2,728 accidents, lorries caused 2,429 accidents, and private buses caused 1,510 accidents in 2024. 

From the 2,368 deaths that occurred in 2024, the most number – 838 – were pedestrians, followed by motorcyclists (732). 

University of Moratuwa (UOM) Department of Civil Engineering Professor H.R. Pasindu, who has studied and worked on road safety since 2017, identified that pedestrians in Sri Lanka faced dangers on multiple fronts, including the lack of infrastructure and space assigned for them on roads. 

“The occurrence of pedestrian deaths is higher in Sri Lanka when compared to other similar countries. This is because there is no infrastructure for pedestrians on roads. 

“As roads get developed, especially in rural areas, there is no space for pedestrians and roads themselves have no mechanisms for speed management,” he said, observing that concrete roads in the past naturally slowed down vehicles as opposed to the newer carpet roads that had come with development. 

According to Prof. Pasindu, as the use of three wheelers and motorcycles increase in rural areas, the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles also increases. 

Structural issues 

Prof. Pasindu added that there were two main structural issues in road safety in the country: weak licence evaluation and poor testing of the roadworthiness of vehicles. 

“The licence evaluation test doesn’t check what should be tested, especially for drivers of heavy vehicles, buses, and motorbikes – we are years behind on that,” he said.

He explained ‘roadworthiness’ as the suitability of a vehicle for travel, adding that in Sri Lanka, modifications, tyres, and braking were not tested either regularly or stringently. 

The modification of buses and three wheelers especially have come under close scrutiny following the Government’s Clean Sri Lanka initiative, which began with the new year. 

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police for Traffic Control and Road Safety Indika Hapugoda said time was being given until 19 January to educate drivers islandwide on road safety, including on driving better and removing modifications that could worsen traffic accidents or put them at greater risk of accidents. 

“Modifications can sometimes lead to more damage than if they didn’t exist on the vehicle,” said DIG Hapugoda, pointing to examples such as lights and decorations on buses that can reduce visibility during reversing. 

Prof. Pasindu said that in order for an accident to occur, five or six issues had to align, stressing the need to address fundamental problems. 

“For example, after Suwa Seriya was introduced, fatalities caused by accidents reduced. This shows that addressing structural issues goes a long way in addressing safety issues,” he noted. 

He further stressed the need to introduce a centralised demerit point system for driving licences, which would act as a deterrent for drivers engaging in repeated offences. 

Black spots 

Meanwhile, National Council for Road Safety Chairperson Renuka Jayaratne said the council was currently engaged in addressing nearly 174 black spots – points identified as being dangerous – on roads which came under the Road Development Authority’s (RDA) jurisdiction. 

However, Jayaratne admitted that this did not address the problems on smaller or inner roads, which could pose significant risks, especially to pedestrians. 

Prof. Pasindu too noted that incompatible land use along roadsides, especially narrower roads, such as the construction of shops, were leading to higher conflicts. “There is no compatibility between land use and road use.” 

Jayaratne added that being more stringent with checking the roadworthiness of vehicles was a consideration of the council, at least for vehicles involved in public transport.  

Safer public transport 

Data from the Sri Lanka Police via the National Council for Road Safety shows that 318 instances of drunk driving by bus drivers were reported last year. Additionally, 1,705 instances of unsafe driving, 1,651 instances of speeding, and 15,670 instances of violating road rules by bus drivers were reported. 

DIG Hapugoda highlighted the need for understanding the responsibility that came with driving a bus which provided public transport services. 

“Long-distance bus drivers must be particularly aware of the hours of rest they must take before working. The Motor Traffic Act specifies that a professional driver must take a longer rest every 10 hours and a short 30-minute rest every four-and-a-half hours,” said Hapugoda, pointing to a recent accident in Passara where a long-distance bus driver had taken only two hours of rest. resulting in the deaths of several passengers. 

He further said that the Police was planning to introduce licences for public bus conductors as well, adding that conductors were not allowed to ride on the footboard of buses.