Road accidents rob country of productive citizens - President

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The government will take immediate steps to reduce and crackdown on road accidents which have done much harm to human lives and the economy, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

The President was addressing the Road Safety Conference and launch of the Decade of Road Safety in Sri Lanka yesterday in Colombo.

Addressing the gathering, President Rajapaksa pointed out that road traffic injuries are among the major public health problems.

‘Road traffic accidents cause death and injury in Sri Lanka. Road accidents claim five or six lives daily while injuring and disabling hundreds, he said.

“It is alarming that road mishaps are the leading cause of deaths among children and young people between the ages of 15 to 29. These are energetic young people who can take the country forward. Therefore the government has taken several steps to bring down the number of accidents,” the President noted.

President Rajapaksa added that enormous sufferings are caused by road traffic deaths and injuries to victims and their families.

The annual cost of road traffic injuries in Sri Lanka runs to over Rs 10 billion, thus affecting the sustainable development of the country. Most accidents occurr due to inappropriate and excessive speeding, driving after consuming alcohol, not using seat belts and other safety equipment such as helmets, the use of vehicles that are old, poorly maintained and lacking safety features are among the main causes for accidents.

“All these statistics and findings show and give us a message that we have to take action to reduce road accidents. Therefore, high priority will be paid to reduce and crackdown on road accidents.

Like terrorism was permanently eradicated, terrorists on the roads too will be dealt with introducing suitable mechanism and methods”, the President added. He said that the country’s road network is being developed allocating millions of funds. Highways are being constructed. Due to this ongoing infrastructure development activities, no poorly designed or insufficiently maintained road infrastructure are visible these days still drivers and pedestrians have to abide by the traffic rules and regulation so as to minimise traffic accidents, President Rajapaksa said.

Ministers Kumara Welgama, P Dayaratne, World Bank Country representative Diaretou Gaye and WHO Country Representative Dr F R Mehta also addressed the gathering.