A total of 1,693 people have been killed in fatal road accidents across Sri Lanka so far this year, police said on Thursday.
Deputy Inspector General of Police W.P.J. Senadheera, who heads the Traffic and Road Safety Range, gave the figures at a media briefing. He said 1,605 fatal road accidents had been reported nationally in 2026 to date.
Alongside those, police recorded 3,125 serious accidents, 6,477 minor accidents and 2,388 accidents involving property damage.
Who is dying
The breakdown of victims points to the vulnerability of those outside a vehicle body. Of those killed, 603 were motorcyclists and 555 were pedestrians — together almost seven in ten of all deaths. A further 119 were pillion riders and 115 were cyclists.
Among vehicle occupants, 136 were drivers and 162 were passengers.
The individual categories given by police add to 1,690, three short of the 1,693 total cited at the briefing.
DIG Senadheera said the number of road accidents recorded so far this year represents a slight decrease on the corresponding period last year.
Context
Road deaths have been a recurring concern for the police traffic division through 2026. Earlier in the year officers reported 49 people killed in the week around the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and motorcyclists have repeatedly featured as the largest single group of victims in periodic police tallies.
