Audit to check roadworthiness of vehicles : Dilum Amunugama

Sri Lanka will soon introduce a system to carryout road audits to check vehicles in a bid to reduce the number of road accidents. The roadworthiness will be checked to ensure that the vehicle is suitable to be operated on a road during a year,  State Minister Dilum Amunugama told parliament.

 

He made the comment during a parliamentary session in which amendments to the Motor Traffic Act was passed . Members expressed a range of views on the subject with all of them of the view that action should be taken to reduce high number of accidents in the country.

 

The Mps conceded that the accident rate was the highest in South Asia. Mr Amunugama explained that a local authority will be entrusted in carrying out the audit and getting a certification that the vehicle was mechanically roadworthy to be operated and also if repairs were needed that too would be suggested.

 

He said a cabinet paper will be submitted for this purpose.

 

In Sri Lanka an average of 3000 persons are killed in road accidents annually. Though last year the figure was lower than 3,000 it was mainly due to the COVID 19 situation where road traffic was lesser than the usual traffic.

 

However, Deputy Inspector  General of police Ajith Rohana said that the average death toll which was about 7 to 8 daily has now shot up to about 11. He has called for the cooperation of the public to end what he called “Road Terrorism”.