News
Road rules take back seat as accident rate accelerates
One was from the north of the country, the other from the south; and they both died in road accidents this week. In Jaffna, a reckless tipper truck driver snatched the life 25-year-old pregnant Shashidaran Subhashini while an accident involving a three wheeler driver who had dozed off while driving claimed the life of 60-year-old Malani Swarnalatha in Matara.
According to Traffic Police, 2000 lives are lost on our roads annually in accidents involving vehicles ranging from passenger transport vehicles like three wheelers to bigger ones like sand tippers.
The torched remains of the tipper that claimed the life of Shashidaran Subhashini in Atchchuveli, Jaffna. Pic by N. Parameshwaran
Last year, 37,877 accidents were reported. Of them 2,190 were fatal while more than 6000 caused grievous injury to people.
The first four months of this year alone recorded 11, 737 accidents of which 717 were fatal and 2,202 caused serious injury.
Sixty year-old Swarnalatha died and three others from the same family were critically injured when the three wheeler they were travelling in from Matara to Chilaw hit an electricity post near Mahabage. The driver had allegedly fallen asleep.The driver of the sand tipper involved in Subhashini’s tragic accident had attempted to flee the scene in Atchchuveli, Jaffna, when residents had caught him and handed him to the police. Enraged residents had torched the vehicle too.
In another incident a 36 year-old woman and her 34 year-old brother died when a container carrier hit the small lorry they were travelling in near Welisara. The family was on their way to Jaffna and had stopped at the Welisara Navy fuel shed when the container hit the lorry. Four children and two women who were travelling in the lorry sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
In Badulla, a speeding tipper truck landed on the roof of a house on the Badulla-Mahiyanganaya Road, when the driver lost control. There was no one in the house, which was badly damaged at the time of the accident.
Badulla: The truck that landed on the roof of this house. Pic by Palitha Ariyawansha
A 23 year-old three wheeler driver and a 26 year old passenger from Kalupahana area, Balangoda were killed when the vehicle collided with a private bus plying from Badulla to Colombo.
Meanwhile transport experts have voiced concern over the rising number of accidents pointing out that state authorities should urgently look into safety measures to bring down the number of accidents and see that enforcement bodies strictly implement the laws.
All Island Three Wheeler Drivers and Owners Union president Sudhil Jayaruk said there were 880,000 three wheelers in the country with 400,000 in the Western Province alone.
“Unfortunately there is no state monitoring body for three-wheeler drivers. Most of them who enter the profession are not professional drivers and it is seen as a method of earning a little money quickly. If it’s self employment these drivers should be given extra training and guidance. The present driving licence doesn’t assure that one is a disciplined driver with a sense of responsibility,” he said.
According to traffic police, recklessness, little regard to road rules, poor road infrastructure, condition of the vehicles in addition to fatigue and stress, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to recognise civic responsibility were some of the leading causes of accidents.
Former Deputy Inspector General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) Camillus R. Abeygoonewardena told the Sunday Times that he believed that the boom in construction that has resulted in heavy vehicles plying the roads frequently has led to road disasters.
He added that there was also an increasing desire among the public to indulge in leisure travel that saw many vehicles on the roads, especially during the weekends. Reckless driving or driving under the influence of liquor, and incidents of drivers falling asleep were the main reasons for accidents during weekends, he added.
“Present day drivers of buses, containers and lorries are often former conductors, cleaners etc and are not professionals, with most learning by trial or error. There is no mid-career training,” he said, adding that that road safety training should be made compulsory for drivers.
The ex IGP also stressed the need for strict enforcement mechanisms and the introduction of modern and advanced techniques such as traffic cameras and mobile patrolling by marked and unmarked police cars. He also said these mechanisms should not be limited only to the Western Province.
He said there was an over-supply of three wheelers but no proper regulatory body.
A senior lecturer in transport and logistics at the University of Moratuwa Dr. T. Sivakumar said the increasing number of heavy vehicles on the roads and driver attitudes were causing more accidents.
“Most of the time the heavy vehicles are in a bad condition that go undetected and drivers of these vehicles try to compete with drivers of smaller vehicles. There are a number of hit and run incidents involving sand tippers because the demand from owners or operators has created stress and fatigue among these drivers.Stressing the importance of giving policemen proper training that covered all areas, Dr. Sivakumar said more budget allocation should be made towards traffic policing.
“We are planning to conduct training in corporate sector companies that will include responsible driving, knowledge of road rules as well as how to handle fatigue and stress,” he added.