A Study of pedestrian safety in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Pedestrian fatalities in Sri Lanka account for 40% of all road deaths. In Colombo district this is as high as 70%. Of all casualties of road accidents, pedestrians constitute 39%. The majority of the victims are in their prime age of between 20 to 35 years. (Police Accident Report, 1996) According to the Ministry of Health, among the leading causes of hospitalization, accident injury is ranked second highest. (Health Bulletin,1995). A survey conducted at the National Hospital, Colombo, reported that victims of road traffic accident occupied 24% of the beds in the accident ward. The cost of traffic accidents has been estimated to be 0.5 to 1 percent of GPD. (Fernando & Fernando,1994). In industrial countries road traffic accidents have long been recognized as a major cause of death and more emphasis on protecting the most vulnerable road user, particularly the pedestrian. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka has followed the pattern of developing countries where resources have been spent on improvements aimed at helping the motorist rather than the pedestrian despite the high involvement of pedestrians in traffic accidents. However, concern for vulnerable road user has been growing recently among the highway engineers in Sri Lanka and attention is now being focused on pedestrians and pedal cyclists.