Sunil Yatalamatta Gamage 

It is very important to protect the Sri Lankan public from accidents. We hear tragic deaths of all works of life and kids due to accidents on roads which completely preventable by proper implementation of laws and road discipline. At present time on the death toll, could be avoided with proper construction of road safety measures and proper implementation of law order and by educating the public on road safety. The whole society must take road accidents seriously and must implement prudent measures to avoid dangerous situations and proper road planning and implementation.

The importance of this matter has become very important to Sri Lanka as the country making steps towards development in a rapid phase by now. Think about developed countries; and how they have progressed and avoided road accidents and how they have used modern technology to avoid accidents. My understanding as such the people in responsible positions don’t know what needs to be done or their perspective not being taken seriously by the government. Everybody must visit a country like Canada and Australia how they have avoided road accidents how they introduced safety speed limits to eradicate road accidents which cause huge human capital loss to the country.

The public and private bus operators have more responsibility to drive people safely to their places. Road signs and speed limits must need to be adhered by drivers to its fullest. Every driver must drive certain stipulated hours of driving per day. Road construction must need to be introduced stringent speed limit signs and violators must be heavily fined and must be given demerit points upon driving recklessly, and insurance premiums must be based on their good driving records. These have been the reason to reduce accidents in developing countries. The drivers always follow the rules of these countries and they do not compete with each other. Instead, they follow time schedules bus arrivals and departures. They follow and respect those to follow carefully. In a country like Japan if the train delays for 5 minutes they apologize from the public.

Public safety is paramount importance and people who walk on the road must have utmost protection of the law of the country. People walk on sidewalks, yellow lines must be protected. A person who drives a vehicle has the utmost responsibility to protect the public, vehicle, and himself. When a person driving a vehicle, it is because driving is a privilege and it is not a right. The driving privilege has a lot more to respect when he or she drives on the road. What we have been seen and happening in Sri Lanka is quite heartbreaking.

Drinking and driving have to be given extreme punishment and imprisonment by law and cancel the driving privilege for entire life.

It is time to work hard and follow the rules of driving to implement a new road of thinking and reinvent the safety, driving speed limits law and fines, railway safety, public safety, and whole country’s mobility safety to a better and safe country.

We have many pundits in our country who talks of democracy and it is time to think and do what is needed to prevent accidents and ensure road safety to travel safely in the Country.