News
200 accident victims a month rushed to National Hospital
More than 200 people a month are rushed to the Accident Service of the National Hospital with critical traffic injuries, mostly to the spine, head and limbs, National Hospital Training Coordinator and Head Nurse Pushpa Ramyani de Soysa said.
Most of the casualties were aged 30-40 years.
“Out of the close to 100,000 injuries reported annually to the accident service, 31 per cent are road traffic accidents. Apart from that, the accident service receives most of the fatally injured persons from outstation hospitals,” Head Nurse de Soysa said.
More than half of all victims came from accidents involving motorbikes; a fifth, from three-wheelers; 7 per cent come from bus accidents and 5.6 per cent from cars.
Police said 261 people were killed in road accidents between January 18 and February 18. On February 28 (a Sunday) 12 died, compared to the average daily count of six. This week too saw days with 10 and more deaths from road accidents.
Most deaths are caused by reckless driving and drink-driving, Police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.
Cases this week included the death of an 18-year-old from Hekitta, Wattala, whose motorbike collided with a lorry on the Kiribathgoda-Hunupitiya road.
A speeding motorbike took away the life of an eight-year-old girl walking on the road in Ehetugaswewa area on the Welioya-Mullaitivu road.
A man died on admission to the Horana hospital after his car collided with a lorry on the Bandaragama-Horana road. A male from Suriyawewa died when his motorbike hit a tractor.
Dr. T. Sivakumar, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Transport and Logistics Management at the University of Moratuwa, said road segregation, laws for pedestrians, imposition of time allocation for heavy vehicles, better use of technology by traffic police, and strict training, driving tests and a demerit system would lower accident rates.
“In many countries obtaining a driving licence is no easy task. Lack of discipline comes from drivers who have no value for their driving licence. When there is a demerit system in place drivers will be more vigilant,” he said.
An accident on Saturday on the Badulla, Colombo Road involving a bus saw more than 30 injured (above and top) Pix by Haputale Nayanananda