5-6 people die in road crashes daily : Dr. Samitha Siritunga

By Leenah Wahab  
Five or six people lose their lives to road accidents involving vehicles daily,” Consultant and Head of the Injury Prevention Directorate of Non- Communicable Disease, Dr. Samitha Siritunga said yesterday.  

Offering his insights to the Daily Mirror, he said, “Road accidents account for 15-16% of hospital injury admissions.”   

Investigations conducted by the Ministry of Health have concluded that both environmental factors such as road conditions and human behaviour are equally responsible for the surge in casualties  

“The reason for the occurrence of high speed accidents is multifactorial; the influence of drugs or alcohol, mobile phone use, tiredness. On the other hand, the elevated costs of spare parts and repairing has put vehicles in sub- standard condition on the streets” Dr. Siritunga said.  

The Ministry of Health have developed an action plan regarding road safety and traffic accidents in ordinance, holding awareness campaigns to educate the general populace on road safety.   
“First aid service and emergency care have seen improvement under this system, but prevention requires the drivers, vehicle occupants, and the pedestrians to adhere to existing guidelines.”