Many killer drivers don't have licences

So far this year, 2,842 people have been killed in more than 2,600 road traffic accidents, police data show. This meant that 235 more people died this year than in 2015.

As of early this December,187 road traffic accidents caused 207 deaths.

This year, 773 pedestrians were killed, as well as 845 motorcyclists and 187 pillion riders. Among those killed were 214 drivers, 395 Passengers. Also killed were 216 cyclists and a dozen others.

The biggest number of fatal accidents, 1,046, was caused by motorcycles followed by three-wheelers which killed 325 people. Lorries caused 307 deaths while private buses killed 153 people and vans ended the lives of 170 innocents.

A doctor was among the most recent accident victims.

Three persons including a doctor died when a pick-up truck crashed into a lorry on December 27 in Navakkulama while travelling to Jaffna from Colombo.

The victims, were Dr. Ashomi Sudeshika from the Colombo National Hospital and both her mother and father-in-law. Dr Sudeshika’s husband was hospitalised due to his injuries. Police said the driver of the lorry has surrendered.

On the same day, one person died when a van and a motorcycle collided on the PolonnaruwaOnekama road. The motorcycle rider, a 50-year- old father of three was killed. The driver of the van was arrested, police said.

This year more than 45,000 peo- ple have been prosecuted for drinking and driving, compared with 47,992 in 2015.

Police alone cannot contain road traffic accidents, an official of the National Road Safety Council said.

“We have already implemented a provincial structure to curb the number of accidents. This is the 10-year road safety plan. We have implemented the plan in districts including Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha,” the official said, adding that the number of deaths a day has increased from five to seven on average.

Official records show that, 35 per cent of drivers responsible for fatal accidents did not possess valid licences, the worst offenders being motorcyclists, who made up nearly 50 per cent of that number followed by lorry drivers at 14 per cent and van drivers at 11 per cent.

The Secretary of Automobile Association Ceylon, Dewapriya Hettiarachchi said that about half of all accidents were caused by drivers who did not have a licence or who had less than three years’ driving experience.

Drunken driving was mainly reported from areas between Galle and Chilaw while accidents in other areas were mainly caused by speeding.

He added that the driving test conducted by the Department of Motor Traffic was far from satisfactory. “There is a lack of theory tests, especially on road rules, road manners and courtesy. The driving test is conducted during the day, from Werehera and Borelesgamuwa. There are no tests in busy cities or roads and no testing is done during night-time,” he said.