Killer on the road

Tuesday, 29 April 2025 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In Sri Lanka, most riders aren’t even taught the basics of safe riding

“There’s a killer on the road…if you give this man a ride, sweet family will die” – Riders on the storm, Jim Morrison and the Doors, 1971.

A few years ago, a friend — a highly qualified safety professional, road safety instructor, and driver trainer — contacted a driving school to inquire about obtaining a heavy vehicle driving license.

The first question from the person who answered the phone was:

“Sir, do you want to get a license, or do you want to learn to drive?”

Perplexed, my friend replied,

“I want to learn to drive.”

He attended his first lesson, and after a short drive, the instructor said:

“Sir, you can drive. Please come to the RMV (Registrar of Motor Vehicles) on this date. We will arrange a vehicle for you.”

On the designated date, he was handed a sheet of paper with a list of numbers and corresponding letters (e.g., 1 – C, 2 – D). When he asked what this meant, he was told:

“These are the answers to the questions you’ll get today. Just memorise them.”

This is how many of our heavy vehicle and passenger-carrying vehicle drivers obtain their licenses.

A hidden threat on our roads

It should then come as no surprise that heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and passenger-carrying vehicles (PCVs) account for an alarmingly high number of road deaths. While motorcycles caused the highest number of fatalities — 1,443 in 2022 — there are nearly five million motorcycles and scooters on our roads, compared with just 385,706 HGVs and 113,268 buses and PCVs, which together caused 771 deaths.

That’s an extremely high fatality rate for vehicles that are supposed to be operated by professional drivers.

When adjusted for vehicle population (per one million vehicles), trucks, HGVs, buses, and PCVs emerge as the most dangerous vehicles on our roads.

Narcotics and incentives: A deadly cocktail

Why do passenger buses drive so aggressively?

Most assume drivers are racing for fun. In reality, they are racing to survive. Bus owners set income and arrival-time targets. Salaries and allowances are tied directly to these metrics. If drivers are late, they lose income. As a result, they risk everything — their passengers, pedestrians, even their own lives — just to earn a full paycheck.

On long-distance routes, drivers speed to build up a time buffer in case of unexpected traffic. If you’ve ever been run off the road by a bus traveling at breakneck speed, now you know why.

The situation is worsened by drivers using narcotics — not for recreation, but simply to stay awake. Gruelling shift schedules leave them with little rest. Many sleep inside their vehicles. Studies have shown many commercial drivers get less than five hours of sleep a night.

Sleep-deprived and under pressure, many resort to stimulants and drugs. Fast and reckless driving also produces its own stimulant: adrenaline.

Still, these drivers regularly fall asleep at the wheel — often with devastating consequences.

Motorcycles: The most exposed

Motorcycles have the highest accident-to-death ratio. Riders are exposed and often invisible to other drivers due to their smaller profile. That’s why many countries implemented mandatory daytime running lights for motorcycles decades ago — and saw significant reductions in collisions.

In Sri Lanka, most riders aren’t even taught the basics of safe riding. Many don’t know that 80% of braking power comes from the front wheel. They avoid the front brake out of fear of being thrown over the handlebars — a dangerous myth.

In an emergency, they use only 20% of available braking power, often locking the rear wheel and losing control. A locked front wheel is far safer than a locked rear — a fact every proper riding school teaches.

Government measures: Ineffective

Over the years, the Government has introduced a variety of initiatives: stricter traffic policing, speed traps, alcohol checks, increased fines. These efforts have indeed increased government revenue and bolstered the police welfare fund — but they’ve done little to reduce accidents or deaths.

President AKD’s recent announcement that 12,000 people died, 32,000 were maimed, and 42,000 injured in road incidents over the past five years should have shocked the nation. While he deserves credit for raising the alarm, he missed a critical statistic: the total number of accidents.

Why do passenger buses drive so aggressively? Most assume drivers are racing for fun. In reality, they are racing to survive. Bus owners set income and arrival-time targets. Salaries and allowances are tied directly to these metrics. If drivers are late, they lose income. As a result, they risk everything — their passengers, pedestrians, even their own lives — just to earn a full paycheck

The numbers don’t add up

According to the police, there were 24,589 accidents and 2,368 deaths in 2024. In 2022, there were 21,953 accidents and 3,211 deaths. That would imply that in 2024, one in every ten accidents resulted in a fatality — and one in every seven in 2022.

Clearly, these figures are misleading.

Why? Because only a small fraction of accidents are reported to the police.

Insurance companies, by contrast, report around 600,000 accidents annually.

The apparent dip in accidents and deaths in 2024 may be due to reduced travel caused by high fuel prices. Traffic in Colombo and suburbs is visibly lower since the economic crisis and its resultant fuel hikes. Have insurance claims dropped too?

Why real accident data matters

Road deaths are a fraction of total accidents. To reduce fatalities, we must reduce all accidents — and that starts with tracking actual numbers.

If 600,000 accidents caused 2,368 deaths, that’s one death for every 253 accidents. Reducing annual accidents to 300,000 could save over 1,000 lives each year.

If our leaders are serious about change, they must create a real-time accident tracking system — weekly or monthly — using data from insurance companies. Then, we must set and enforce national accident reduction targets.

The National Council for Road Safety (roadsafety.gov.lk) should be held accountable for tracking and publishing this data and evaluating the effectiveness of every initiative.

What we can do — starting now

There are several immediate actions that can save lives:

1. Mandate daytime running lights for all motorcycles.

This simple rule improves visibility and reduces collisions. Many Japanese domestic models have lights permanently on — often disabled when imported to Sri Lanka.

2. Enforce strict rest periods for HGV and PCV drivers.

Include required breaks and rest time between shifts. A smartphone app could enforce this — where drivers cannot start a journey without fulfilling rest criteria. Owners — not drivers — should face penalties for violation.

3. Ban performance-based pay schemes for drivers.

Linking pay to speed or passenger numbers incentivise dangerous driving. Owners must be fined for violations.

4. Add emergency braking tests for all new motorcycle riders.

Riders must demonstrate that they can stop safely under emergency conditions.

Long-term changes that must happen

Overhaul the driving license system. End the current sham and adopt an internationally recognised standard. Our new highways require drivers to be competent at high speeds and in multi-lane environments. Highway driving must become part of the test.
Mandatory re-testing after serious accidents. Any driver involved in a major accident should face a quick assessment of competence. Failing that, they must retake their license.
National education campaigns.

Teach drivers, riders, and pedestrians the basics — like how to respond to emergency vehicles, how to use crosswalks, or why lights should be turned on one hour before sunset and kept on until one hour after sunrise. What to do when traffic slows suddenly on the highway.

The time for change is now

President AKD has rightly put this issue on the national agenda. But unless we adopt a pragmatic and scientific approach, this humanitarian disaster will continue — because we keep releasing killers on our roads.

(The writer is a pioneer solar energy entrepreneur, a former member of the Colombo Municipal Council, a former Sri Lanka Consul General to Germany, and a race car driver with international and national awards and a motorcycle rider.)

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Killer on the road

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