Police warn negligent trishaw drivers

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The City Traffic Police has warned trishaw drivers countrywide to refrain from overloading passengers following a series of road accidents during the past two weeks due to the negligence of trishaw drivers.

According to a spokesman for the City Traffic Police nearly 14 persons including children who travelled in trishaws died during this period. An incident was reported where a packed trishaw with six members including a child of the same family had collided with a tipper truck at the Mawathagama town in Kurunegala around 4.30 am on June 17.

The family had been returning home after a Poson pilgrimage to Anuradhapura.

According to an eye witness, the driver of the trishaw lost control of the vehicle due to the heavy load and collided with the truck. All six persons including the driver and a soldier were killed on the spot.

Another incident was reported from Avissawella, where a father of four was severely reprimanded and spotfined for keeping his two-year-old baby girl on his lap while driving his trishaw.

Police Media Spokesman Prishantha Jayakody told the Sunday Observer that only three passengers could travel comfortably in a trishaw. “Although trishaw drivers are fully cognizant about traffic rules and regulations, most of them violate this purely for the purpose of earning a fast buck”.

Jayakody warned trishaw drivers to refrain from overloading their vehicles and also overtaking other vehicles, especially during traffic congestion.