According to data released by the Ministry of Transport, nearly 2,500 people lost their lives in road accidents across Sri Lanka in 2023.
In 2022, the country recorded approximately 21,000 road accidents, with 2,395 resulting in fatalities and 6,231 classified as serious incidents.
Analyzing the types of vehicles involved, motorcycles accounted for 34% of the accidents, while three-wheelers made up 16%. Motor cars were involved in 16% of the accidents, dual-purpose vehicles in 13%, and lorries in 11%, according to Professor Wasantha Athukorala, Director of the Postgraduate Studies Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Peradeniya.
On average, more than 60% of the victims in road accidents were either pedestrians or motorcyclists. Among the fatalities, 12% were passengers, 9% were cyclists, and 7% were drivers.
The increase in road accidents has been attributed to issues within Sri Lanka’s road infrastructure and a lack of driver discipline. Alarmingly, around seven people die in road accidents daily, with a fatality occurring every three to four hours.
