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| Saturday, 14 February 2004 |
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59,444 vehicle accidents last year by Florence Wickramage There were 59,444 vehicle accidents during last year, Police Inspector W.L.I. Wijeratne told a media workshop at the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) Auditorium recently. The workshop on 'Challenges faced today in the Transport Sector' was held to educate and inform the media about the present situation in the country. The workshop was organised by the SLAAS jointly with the Intermedia Technology Development Group South Asia (ITDG) which is spearheading a campaign to popularise the use of bicycles here. Wijeratne said deaths due to vehicle accidents are on the increase and in 2003 alone, 2,096 succumbed to injuries caused by vehicle accidents. Whilst 2,160 vehicle-accident victims died in 2002, there had been a slight decrease in such deaths last year, he said. Wijeratne said around 150 motor accidents occur daily at a rate of about one accident per every 10 minutes. "Four to five vehicle accident victims die per day with deaths caused at the rate of one every four and half hours," he said. During the last four years, around 800 pedestrians died whilst 311 cyclists and 300 motor-cyclists have died in motor accidents, Wijeratna said. Accidents caused by negligence of cyclists were around 1,325 in the 2003 which killed 78, he said. Even though cyclists and other vehicle drivers commute together, there is a need to educate cyclists on road rules, which is lacking today, Wijeratne said. Cyclist must also carry a proper light to be clearly seen by other drivers. The tendency for bicycle riders to wear red garments in the night should be discouraged since other drivers do not observe such cyclists till they are virtually close," Wijeratne said. |
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