Motorists warned; no signals on the sly

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The City Traffic Police have expressed concern over the behaviour of certain motorists who flash their headlights in and signal other oncoming speeding motorists that the police are ahead.

According to the Police, many motorists resort to this practice and warn such drivers to refrain from doing so, as it helps errant motorists to drive at high speeds disregarding the lives of pedestrians and passengers in other vehicles.

Director Traffic SP, Chula de Silva told the Sunday Observer that it was the duty of all motorists to refrain from driving recklessly on the highways and also encourage others in doing so. "Flashing vehicle headlights and signalling other vehicles that traffic police are ahead, is not ethical as it helps them to drive at high speeds where police are not present to control traffic".

The SP called upon motorists to avoid speeding as over 20 highway accidents and 17 deaths had been reported from various parts of the country during the past two weeks.

A report from Radawadunna in the Pasyala police division said that two policemen on patrol duty at Bataleeya junction on the Kandy Road last week had reprimanded a young school van driver for signalling a truck driver that the police were ahead and to reduce speed.