Trishaws unsafe even without bad driving

Three-wheelers have an inherently unsafe structure and serious accidents involving them cannot be avoided unless strict laws are put in place, a leading traffic expert says.

Three trishaw drivers are killed each week in accidents, averaged police figures show.

Unlike other vehicles which are strengthened by metal sheeting , the threewheeler design does not enable it to absorb force and protect people in an accident, says Moratuwa University's Prof. Nanda Munasinghe.

“Only the under-layer of the trishaw is fortified, with two iron rods. It is open at the top and sides, which brings passengers and drivers into contact with a colliding object or slows them to fall out of the vehicle in an accident,” he said.

“It is astonishing,” Dr. Munasinghe said. “Why did the government let an unsafe vehicle to become a mode of public transport?”

He said the maneuverability of the vehicle allowed their drivers to cross lanes and overtake others in unsafe traffic, which led to accidents. Other problems caused three-wheelers to topple easily while speeding or turning.

More than 85 trishaw drivers operating in Colombo were killed in the first seven months of this year, ten more than in the same period last year, Police Traffic Chief Palitha Fernando said.

Police statistics indicated about 124 trishaw passengers had been killed in the same period.

DIG Fernando said police were determined to limit the number of three-wheelers in the city and to crack down on violations of traffic law and passenger safety. A trishaw found to be unsafe would have its registration cancelled.

The All-Island Three-Wheeler Driver’s Union is angry about the crackdown, with President Lalith Dharmasekera saying the government was showing a sudden interest in the safety of trishaws, having neglected to look into the issue when the small vehicle was introduced into the country.

“I, too, agree the three-wheeler is unsafe but that doesn't mean it should be removed,” Mr. Dharmasekera said.

Mr. Dharmasekera claimed more than 1.3 million trishaws were used as family vehicles by poor people and only 600,000 of them were used as taxis.

He said trishaw owners had been planning to get safer four-wheeled vehicles – quattro cycles – with strong metal bodies but that this plan had been disrupted by the presidential election last ywar.

DIG Fernando said police were working on a law to make seatbelts mandatory for passengers and drivers in new three-wheelers. “When you have a seatbelt on you will not fall out when the vehicle is turning and speeding,” he said.