Road accidents claim 564 lives between January 02 and April 09 mainly due to reckless driving

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Five hundred and sixty four Sri Lankans have lost their lives in 534 fatal road accidents between January 1 and April 9, according to Police Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nihal Thalduwa.

He said that 3,791 other road accidents that didn’t lead to deaths had also been reported during the same period.

SSP Thalduwa said that reckless driving was the cause for over 90 percent of fatal accidents.

However, accidents caused by road engineering defects, bad weather, and mechanical problems in vehicles had decreased in the last two years, he said.

The SSP emphasised the importance of maintaining safe driving practices, including driving at appropriate speeds, not driving under the influence of alcohol, and adhering to traffic rules, are paramount in reducing these accidents.

Last year recorded 19,740 road accidents in Sri Lanka, Thalduwa said, adding that 2,485 died in those crashes.