• Collectively prepared by 16 stakeholder institutions 

In the wake of increasing road accidents across the country, the Ministry of Transport and Highways stated that an action plan to prevent road accidents, prepared collectively by 16 line institutions, will be implemented within the next two months.

A sharp rise in road accidents has been observed, the most recent one being when a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus veered off the Nuwara Eliya–Gampola main road and plunged down a precipice on 11 May, killing 22 passengers and injuring more than 35 others.

When queried by The Daily Morning regarding plans to prevent road accidents, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Dr. Prasanna Gunasena said that an action plan had been prepared as part of an initiative titled ‘Road Safety’, which was launched three months ago in response to the growing number of road-related fatalities and injuries.

“All key stakeholders in road transport and safety have been brought together under this programme. These include the Road Passenger Transport Authority, the SLTB, the Department of Railways, the Police, the Department of Motor Traffic, the National Transport Medical Institute, and several others. They have prepared an action plan, and it will be implemented within the next two months,” Dr. Gunasena pointed out.

According to the World Bank, Sri Lanka records an average of 38,000 road crashes each year, resulting in approximately 3,000 deaths and 8,000 serious injuries. The country’s estimated annual road crash death rate per capita is the highest among its immediate South Asian neighbours and is five times higher than that of the world’s best-performing countries. To meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 target of reducing national road crash fatalities by 50%, it is expected that Sri Lanka will need to invest nearly United States Dollars 2 billion over the next decade.