Two motorcyclists have been killed in separate crashes at opposite ends of the island, police said on Tuesday.
An 18-year-old died after a motorcycle accident in the Welihena area of Dambulla. The machine was travelling towards Bulagala when the rider lost control, veered off the road and struck a culvert. He was admitted to the Dambulla Hospital with serious injuries and died while receiving treatment. Dambulla Police are investigating.
In the second crash, a motorcycle travelling towards Galle on the Galle–Udugama Road ran off the carriageway near the Galgodadeniya Junction and hit a bus stop after the rider lost control.
Both the rider and his pillion passenger were seriously injured and taken to the Karapitiya Hospital, where the rider later died. Police identified him as a 27-year-old resident of the Udugama area. The condition of the pillion passenger was not given.
Akmeemana Police are conducting further investigations.
Context
Both crashes follow the same pattern of a single rider losing control rather than a collision with another vehicle.
Motorcyclists account for the largest share of Sri Lanka’s road deaths. Police figures released this month put the number of people killed in motorcycle accidents between January 1 and July 31 at 749, including 13 aged under 18.
Police deployed 10,000 traffic officers against reckless driving during the school holidays this week, and the government has set a target of sharply reducing road deaths by 2029.
