A 22-year-old motorcyclist has died in a road accident in the Pahala Katugampala area of Giriulla, police said.
The motorcycle was travelling at speed when it collided with the rear of a trailer attached to a tractor moving ahead of it, according to Ada Derana.
The rider sustained serious injuries and died on admission to Dambadeniya Hospital. He has been identified as a resident of the Dambadeniya area.
Giriulla Police are conducting further investigations.
Motorcyclists dominate road deaths
The death is the latest in a sustained pattern of fatal motorcycle crashes in the Kurunegala District. A teenager was killed in a motorcycle and bus collision at Mawathagama on August 5, and two people died in a motorcycle and tipper collision at Muttur earlier this month.
Motorcyclists and pillion riders account for the largest single share of Sri Lanka’s road fatalities. Police have said that more than 271,000 helmet-related cases have been filed so far this year as part of an enforcement drive aimed at reducing head injuries, while the Consumer Affairs Authority has run a parallel crackdown on substandard helmets lacking SLS certification.
Collisions with the rear of slow-moving agricultural vehicles are a recurring hazard on rural trunk roads, where tractors and trailers often carry no rear lighting or reflective marking and travel well below the speed of other traffic.
Sources: Ada Derana.
