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More teeth for traffic laws to rein in errant three-wheeler drivers
View(s):In a move to ensure the safety of three-wheeler passengers, drivers and other road-users, amendments to the Motor Traffic Act are to be presented in Parliament in the coming weeks by the Transport Minister, officials said.
Road rules are meant for breaking appear to be the motto of these three wheelers. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
National Council for Road Safety Chairman Sisira Kodagoda told the Sunday Times that the amendments, which were still in the drafting stage, had not drawn objections from any three-wheeler association because they were related to safety measures.
He said the amendments were necessary in view of the increasing number of threewheelers on the roads, accidents involving three-wheelers and traffic law violations by three-wheeler drivers.
According to the Motor Traffic Department statistics, 1,124,982 threewheelers have been registered in the first seven months of this year. The figure for the corresponding period last year was 56,522.
In addition to new laws, the authorities have also taken other measures to ensure the safety of three-wheeler passengers, drivers and roadusers.
Police Traffic Chief Kamal Silva said that in addition to the strict observance of traffic laws, Police also conducted awareness programmes.
He said the Traffic Police conducted awareness programmes to educate traffic law offenders on road rules and safety measures.
Three-wheelers are considered an affordable mode of transport. But there are complaints regarding overcharging passengers and hazardous driving. The fact that most three-wheelers liberally violate traffic laws indicates that most three-wheeler drivers are either deliberately violating the law or are ignorant of the law.
Police Media Spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara told the Sunday Times that three-wheelers were responsible for many road accidents.
The reasons he attributed were reckless driving, lack of lane discipline and speeding. He said that unlike other vehicles, three-wheelers have a higher tendency to lose control when they speed. They also contributed to a high casualty toll because most three-wheelers carried more passengers than legally approved.
Police Traffic Headquarters statistics reveal that of the 2,824 deaths caused due to vehicle accidents last year, 372 or some 13 percent were caused by three-wheelers.
In June this year, of the 1,419 fatal road accidents, threewheelers were involved in 186 cases – or in 14 percent of the total number.
On Monday, a three-wheeler was reduced to a wreck when it collided with an on coming bus in the Kohuwala police area. The collision occurred when the three-wheeler driver had tried to overtake another bus. The driver escaped with injuries. Police said he will be produced in court for reckless driving.
In yet another incident this week, a three-wheeler knocked down a man crossing the road with his bicycle in Panadura around 10 am and fled the scene.
The Panadura Police said the cyclist was receiving treatment in the hospital for serious injuries and a search was on for the three-wheeler driver. Amal S. Kumarage, Senior Professor of the Department of Transport and Logistics at the University of Moratuwa, told the Sunday Times that three-wheelers were not designed to travel fast or at more than 30 kmph on normal roads and therefore they should be used for short-distance travel.
“A three-wheeler, like a motor cycle, is a low cost vehicle. It is not a suitable vehicle for main roads, especially roads with heavy traffic flows. The sharp cuts, especially in overtaking, and swift turns three-wheeler drivers take have a greater likelihood to cause serious accidents,” he said.
He said that safety standards for vehicles should be mandatory, but with regard to three-wheelers, the remedy is not merely safety measures. “Safe carriages for passengers should be promoted as a policy. The three-wheeler doesn’t have air bags, safety bars or roll bars which ensure the stability of a vehicle. It is a primitive structure,” he said adding that most people are forced to buy unsafe vehicles because four-wheel vehicles were beyond their reach due to the heavy tax component.
