Lankan roads take in 150 new drivers every hour

Irangika RANGE

Around 150 new drivers enter the roads every hour in Sri Lanka, Transport Deputy Minister Rohana Kumara Dissanayake said.

He said the Motor Traffic Department issued 133,767 new driving licences from January 1 to May 31 this year. On an average, 26,754 new driving licences were issued monthly while 1,216 new driving licences were issued daily except on Saturday and Sunday, Dissanayake said.

A total of 273,443 driving licences including renewal and extensions were issued during the last five months, he said. “Meanwhile, 608 licences of errant drivers were cancelled due to various offences in the first five months of the year,” the deputy minister said.