More must be done to prevent road accidents

Thursday, 12 November 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Road accidents in Sri Lanka continue to take a huge toll, with the latest involving two Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) buses and a private bus along the A9 highway in the Rambewa area of Anuradhapura leading to the death of four persons and injuring 71 others.

Police said that preliminary investigations revealed that the accident had been caused by dangerous and reckless driving by the driver of one of the buses.

Reports said the accident took place when a SLTB bus travelling from Vavuniya towards Rambewa attempted to overtake a private bus travelling in the same direction, before colliding head-on with another SLTB bus approaching from the opposite direction.

This is just one of the many accidents involving vehicles such as buses, tippers, lorries etc. in recent days. In October, four people died and many others injured when a multi-vehicle crash involving a truck/cement mixer and multiple vehicles took place along the Kandy-Matale road.

The list of such accidents keeps growing and despite efforts by the Police and the transport authorities, the number of accidents gets more alarming.

According to available statistics, over 2,000 people have been killed in road accidents across Sri Lanka between 1 January and 6 October 2026. Hundreds of others have got injured, many left permanently handicapped. These statistics are alarming to say the least.

In 2025, Sri Lanka recorded a total of 2,562 fatal road accidents, and so far this year the numbers look slightly less, but still remains a major cause of concern for the country.

One thing evident from the accident involving heavy vehicles is that most of these vehicles are poorly maintained and the drivers overworked. These vehicles pose a major hazard to the public given that when brakes fail in such vehicles or some other mishap takes place or the drivers lose control or fall asleep behind the wheel, they leave behind many casualties. It is the same with buses, both private and State-owned. They are often involved in accidents and sadly it is the passengers who pay with their lives or suffer injuries.

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake has been pledging to improve road discipline, but it is an uphill task. The Traffic Police have also been putting in place as many curbs as possible, but errant drivers still get away.

The Government has to take more drastic measures to prevent accidents even if they are unpopular steps, especially against bus drivers and those operating heavy vehicles. Owners of private buses as well as other heavy vehicles should be held accountable, where there have been clear cases of negligence. Route permits must be cancelled and there should be stiff fines and prison terms too, where deaths have occurred. Even though the Government pays compensation for victims of accidents, those responsible for accidents should also be held liable and asked to compensate victims and the families, where deaths have occurred.

The public should also be alert and report errant drivers to the authorities. Accidents can no longer be ignored as something that cannot be avoided. Drastic measures are needed to minimise accidents in the country.