News
Crash deaths rising; police advocate driver discipline
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
The police are calling on drivers to maintain self-discipline rather than depending on enforcement and awareness programmes as the road accident death toll continues to rise.
Deaths in 2025 due to road accidents increased by 317 compared with 2024.
The number of road accident deaths soared to 2,838 last year; it was 2,521 in 2024.
Serious accidents have decreased, but there were a number of accidents with high casualties, including the bus accidents in Gerandi Ella and in Ella.
A recent accident in Ambalangoda, Godagama
Deputy Inspector General W.P.J. Senadheera, who is in charge of Traffic Control and Road Safety, told the Sunday Times that the main causes of accidents are the lack of self-discipline and the attitude of drivers who take precautions only to evade police action, disregarding their safety and that of others.
Self-discipline could help reduce accidents and deaths, he said.
“Police are forced to carry out strict enforcement because of a lack of road discipline and drivers not following traffic rules. More awareness should be raised to create a culture among people who will consider self-discipline and safety as priorities,’’ he said.
DIG Senadheera said more pedestrians are becoming victims. More accidents are caused by motorcyclists, three-wheel drivers, and bus drivers.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotic drugs and driving without rest are some of the main causes that contribute to accidents.
Mr Senadheera also noted that young riders and drivers are responsible for a high number of accidents.
“We do not want to increase spot fines or take more traffic-related cases to make revenue. We need to reduce the number of accidents. That’s why we have decided to charge motorists responsible for serious accidents under criminal law apart from traffic law. We would take stern action if investigations reveal that there was the intention of murder or attempted murder through the culprit’s action,” he said.
The DIG said that when criminal charges are filed, the culprits would not be able to get bail, and if they are in state service, their work would also be affected.
He said accidents also occur when motorists lose focus by using mobile phones while driving.
The DIG explained that tiredness and sleep-deprived driving would reduce reaction time to avoid accidents.
He expects behavioural and attitude change from awareness programmes. Schoolchildren should be targeted as a long-term measure to create a culture prioritising discipline and safety. One such programme was the “take care” programme in 2025.
DIG Senadheera. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Spot fine payment has been launched through Gov. Pay. The system is available in seven provinces and would be implemented in Central and Wayamba provinces soon.
However, he said that in six months, the spot fine system would be interlinked with the demerit system. (See box story for more details.)
Use of mobile phones by pedestrians, too, puts them at risk.
To crack down on dangerous driving, police used decoys in public transport buses, but the absence of detections or arrests of errant drivers in recent months suggests the practice is seldom resorted to. However, DIG Senadheera claimed that deploying police officers in civvies on state buses continues, not only to book such drivers but also to curb indecent passenger behaviour and sexual harassment.
The use of mobile apps such as Google maps to alert drivers to police checkpoints and locations of traffic police does not serve society, the police said. This would encourage wrong driving behaviour and abiding by the law only in the presence of law enforcers.
Motor traffic experts said that overlooking overall causes of accidents and taking collective national measures to improve safety and harping on strict enforcement and awareness have yielded poor results.
Moratuwa University Emeritus Professor Amal Kumarage said people should be taught about road safety as a cultural habit.
He said that a road accident could be viewed as a systematic failure due to many reasons and conditions.
Authorities, including the President, the Transport Ministry, infrastructure developers, lawmakers, law enforcers, drivers and vehicle maintenance firms, should all be responsible for accidents.
High casualty: Gerandi Ella bus accident
Priority should be given to improving safety, creating road signs and maintaining the quality of road infrastructure.
He said a national-level programme, which addresses causes of accidents, should be initiated.
The government should not consider one aspect, such as the use of digital technology to reduce accidents, or revisit earlier plans, such as the demerit policy, as one-off solutions. Instead, the bigger picture should be looked at and multiple measures be taken.
| Talks to determine demerit timeline The police and transport authorities are once again working to implement the demerit system for driving offences this year. Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayake would be chairing the meeting, he said. “The software is a technical matter; the demerit system should be implemented against both offences which could be settled with spot fines and the ones that require the offender to be produced before courts. The system should remain constantly updated so that frequency and severity of offences lead to the reduction of marks and eventual suspension of driving licence,’’ he said. | |
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