Vehicle testing for proper maintenance will be strictly enforced across the country to minimise the number of road accidents which have been on the rise causing enormous loss to society and the economy, said Senior DIG (Traffic) Indika Hapugoda.
“Testing vehicles for sound maintenance is an effective way to reduce the rising number of road accidents which snuff out valuable lives and cause unbearable pain to families,” Hapugoda said.
He was addressing the media on the launch of the “Vehicle Testing Can Save Lives” program aimed at raising awareness on the importance of regular testing and repairing vehicles to minimise the number of road accidents, hosted by the Automobile Association of Ceylon and the Federation of Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA) in Colombo on Thursday. Statistics show that of around eight million registered vehicles in Sri Lanka, less than 20 percent are subjected to a proper vehicle test. Many vehicles are subjected to emission tests but not on their roadworthiness.
Nearly seven deaths occur due to road accidents in the country daily. Around 38,000 road accidents take place annually in the country resulting in around 3,000 deaths and approximately 8,000 serious injuries. The country has a high road fatality rate compared to its South Asian neighbours and other countries globally.
In 2021, the number of accidents decreased slightly to 22,847, but fatalities increased to 2,557. In 2022, accidents dropped further to 21,953, but deaths remained high at 2,540. In 2023 there was a significant rise in accidents – 24,894, but fatalities dropped to 2,341.
