Driver error, most common cause of accidents

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Six persons die every day on Sri Lanka’s highways as a result of motor accidents which adversely affect the country’s economy as well, said Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. P. Mahipala addressing a media conference in Colombo. He said when analysing the cause of accidents, they realised that 85 percent of them have occurred due to the fault of drivers while 15 percent was due to mechanical defects in vehicles.

He said road accidents can permanently incapacitate or kill persons. Many people between the ages of 15 and 44 have died or have become permanently disabled as a result of road accidents. Forty one percent of road accidents happen due to driving under the influence of liquor.

It was revealed that 92 accidents had happened on a single day in 2010. The damage to property as a result of drunken driving during the festive season has been estimated to cost more than Rs. 10 billion every year. Traffic accidents, the fourth category of accidents in the country reach a peak during the festive season, according to police.

Director of Police, Traffic Headquarters and Road Safety, Senior Superintendent of police, K. Arasaratnam said 100-150 road accidents are reported each day of which 45 percent belongs to the serious accidents category.

He said of the four million registered vehicles two million are motorcycles. The likelihood of road accidents has increased due to the proliferation of motor cycles. Around 600 motorcycles are registered at the Motor Traffic Commissioner’s Department each day.

Meanwhile, the Police Traffic Headquarters have detected 27,388 cases of drunk driving up to September 2011. A person found driving under the influence of liquor can be fined Rs. 3,500- 7,500 and imposed three months’ imprisonment or suspension of the driver’s licence for 12 months by Courts. A person nabbed for drunk for the second time can be fined Rs. 4,000-7,500 and a jail term of six months and the cancellation of the driver’s licence. A driver under the influence of liquor who causes the death of a person will be fined Rs. 15,000-25,000 and a 10-year jail term and the cancellation of licence.

A survey has revealed that the percentage of deaths from road accidents has increased in the world and in developing countries as well. Around 1.3 million accidents take place in the world each year.