Over Rs. 10 m bonanza for good drivers in Colombo

•  Asiri Health partners Sri Lanka Police in far-reaching cause 

A campaign ordered by the Police Chief as a motivation for good drivers got off the block in Colombo and is ongoing with rewards to the tune of a whopping over Rs. 10 million, a Police spokesman said. 

The campaign to search for Colombo’s Best Drivers was launched on 15 September from Colombo 1 to 15, as part of an island-wide effort conducted in stages. Specially trained policemen are stationed at strategic locations while some are travelling in buses and in unbranded vehicles. While their intentions and instructions are to identify ‘stand-out’ actions of good driving where drivers display courtesy to other road users including pedestrians while respecting road rules, violators are also at the receiving end accordingly. 

Once a good driver is identified the police officers thank them on behalf of the police and citizens while pasting a special sticker on the windscreen which will make the driver stand in good stead in the future. The sticker will be valid for one year. Meanwhile, the already pleasantly surprised drivers received a special voucher from Asiri Health for a free medical check-up and in addition to the free gift further discounts on selected medical packagers are offered. 

The idea conceived by the Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundera is implemented in collaboration with mar-com agency The 7th Frontier and the corporate sector with civic-minded organisations coming forward to reward the good drivers. 

“It is an exceptionally generous act of kindness from a leading caregiver. We are quite grateful to Asiri Hospitals for not just willingly coming forward but committing a colossal amount of over Rs. 10 million as rewards to drivers,” says IGP Pujith Jayasundera. “A free health check is a noble gift and I as IGP feel the reward is so heart-felt, its impact will be huge,” he said. 

The Sri Lanka Best Driver Campaign was launched in Kandy a few weeks ago as a special counter measure for increasing fines and as a gesture that will not only serve as a motivation for drivers but as a goodwill gesture between the Police and the public. In the inaugural campaign in Kandy, campaign partners AMW Pitstop offered 300 gift vouchers worth Rs. 3,000 each nearing Rs. 1 million worth of gifts. As more partners keep calling to sign up and the campaign expands further through Colombo, suburbs and in the provinces the Police expect a variety of compelling rewards to be added to the list of incentives for good drivers, said a spokesperson from The 7th Frontier Ltd. 

As per IGP’s directive, DIG Traffic Chula De Silva is giving leadership to a team of officers comprising of SP City Traffic Sumith Nissanka, ASP Traffic Colombo Central Lucian Suriyabandara, ASP Kolin Bamunuarachchi and Sub Inspector D.M.N. Pushpakumara.