Police have launched special operations to identify motorists driving recklessly or under the influence during the school holiday period.
Police Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler said around 10,000 traffic officers have been deployed for the operations.
Wootler said police are making every effort to prevent serious road accidents, and urged the public to share responsibility for road safety rather than leaving it to enforcement alone.
He said the objective is to prevent children and other family members from losing their lives or being separated from their families as a result of reckless driving.
Context
School holiday periods draw heavier traffic onto Sri Lanka’s roads as families travel, and police have repeatedly mounted intensified traffic operations around such periods. Similar deployments have accompanied the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and the December festive season in previous years.
The operation runs alongside a separate push against drug use behind the wheel. The Health Ministry on Monday handed a mobile drug-testing laboratory to the National Transport Medical Institute to widen random testing of bus drivers and conductors, with Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa saying investigations into several accidents had found drivers allegedly using narcotics.
Police separately reported 78 arrests for drink-driving in the most recent 24-hour island-wide operation.
NewsFirst’s report did not specify the dates of the school holiday period covered, the duration of the operation, or how the 10,000 officers are distributed across provinces. No other verified newsroom had reported the announcement at the time of writing.
Source: NewsFirst.
