Launch of Book ANALYSIS OF ROAD ACCIDENTS IN SRI LANKA Analysis for 2001 & 2002 Prof. Amal S. Kumarage, University of Moratuwa Mr. S.M. Wickremasinghe, DIG, Sri Lanka Police Ms. M.D.R.P. Jayaratne, University of Moratuwa August 2005
Acknowledgements
Trends Growth Rate (198 80=100) 550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 O perational Vehicles O perated Vehicle kilometers Road Accident Passenger km Accident Fatality Population Trends in Growth Rates (1980=100) 150 100 50 1980 1985 1990 1995 200 0 20 05 Year
Vulnerability of the Population to Road Accident Deaths (1977-2002) Year Road Accident Fatalities All Deaths Ratio 1977 892 103,284 116 1978 864 93,971 109 1979 939 94,244 100 1980 1,106 91,020 82 1981 1,238 88,481 71 1982 1,249 92,244 74 1983 1,362 95,174 70 1984 1,302 100,725 77 1985 1,305 98,089 75 1986 1,479 96,145 65 1987 1,232 99,756 81 1988 1,381 95,934 69 1989 1,592 105,239 66 1990 1,788 97,716 55 1991 1,532 95,574 62 1992 1,515 98,380 65 1993 1,402 96,179 69 1994 1,608 100,394 62 1995 1,669 104,707 63 1996 1,724 122,161 71 1997 1,823 114,782 63 1998 1,945 111,405 57 1999 2,056 114,472 56 2000 2,144 112,569 53 2001 2,158 111,100 51 2002 2,175 110,637 51
Risk to Different Road Users (1977-2002) Fatality Rate- Deaths Fatality per 100, Rate,000 population 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 all users veh. user pedestrians 0.0 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year
Analysis -2002 Police Data According to the Police Statistics, there were 54,911 road accidents in Sri Lanka in the year 2002. Fatal 4% Grievous 6% Non- Grievous 23% Damaged Only 67% Of these, 2,038 accidents were fatal, while 3,286, 12,725 and 36, 862 were reported as Grievous, Non-grievous and Damage only accidents respectively. Finding out when, where and how accidents happen is an important first step in understanding why accidents happen. Accident reduction programs can only be successful if the answer to these two questions are known.
Where accidents occur? Road Accidents in Sri Lanka 2002 North Central Province 2% Nothern Province Uva Province 2% 3% Eastern Province 3% Southern Province 6% Percentage of Fatal Road Accidents by Province (2002) Western Province 59% North Western Province 9% Sabaragamuw Province 7% Central Province 9% Western Province 39% North Central Province 2% Fatal Accidents in Sri Lanka 2002 Uva Province 3% Nothern Province 3% Eastern Province 5% Central Province 7% Percentage of Road Accidents by Province (2002 ) Sabaragamuwa Province 8% North Western Province 21% Southern Province 12%
Fatality Rate by Province (2002) Province per 10^6 Vehicle Kms Rank Fatality Rate Per 10^5 Population Composite Rank Rank Central 0.22 6 7.41 5 4 North Central 0.15 7 3.80 7 5 North Western 0.38 1 19.14 1 1 Sabaragamuwa 0.27 4 11.97 3 3 Southern 0.32 2 10.23 4 2 Uva 0.30 3 5.89 6 5 Western 0.22 5 17.01 2 3 27.73 12.32
Accident Severity Index (deaths as a ratio of persons injured) by Province (2002) NWP 12.86% SP 9.51% EP 9.19% WP 9.06% NCP 8.94% SAB 8.18% NP 7.26% CP 6.05% Uva 4.46% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% Severity Index (%)
Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusions Even though the Western Province has the largest share of accidents, the North Western Province followed by the Southern Province can be called the most unsafe for the road user and the residents, when adjusted for transport activity levels and resident population. When analyzed, this appears to be largely due to the intense use of motor cycles (NWP fleet has 67% and SP has 65%), when compared to other provinces. The Severity of accidents appears to be high where vulnerable vehicles are higher and also where speeds are higher. It is also high where accessibility to emergency facilities is poor. Recommendations The NWP and SP provinces, in particular appears to deserve a targeted road safety campaign for motor cycle riders. The NWP should also be targeted for speed enforcement programs.
Trends Time based patterns All Accidents 20 Accidnets with Time of Day (2002) 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 21 6 7 All Accidents > 3,300 2500-3300 < 2500 19 8 18 9 17 10 16 11 15 14 13 12 Fatal Accidents 21 20 22 1 2 3 4 23 24 5 6 7 8 9 No. of Fatal Accidents > 110 90-110 < 90 19 10 18 11 17 16 15 14 13 12
Trends weekly and yearly Migration of Vulnerability Close to Colombo, the fatalities reduce over the weekend. However there is a corresponding increases during this time on the main truck roads leading from Colombo. There is also monthly increases associated with festivals and holiday season (e.g. Nuwera Eliya 60% higher in April)
Trends- Type of Roads and Time (fatalities 2002 by time period in Western Province) Road Time Range (Hrs.) Class 1-4 4-7 7-10 10-13 13-16 16-19 19-21 21-24 Total A1 6 10 7 10 11 20 13 13 90 A2 4 14 6 11 15 16 16 15 97 A3 4 12 19 16 17 15 30 13 126 A4 2 4 4 2 7 7 7 1 34 Other A Roads 2 8 5 5 9 14 7 50 B 1 7 19 15 12 16 9 12 91 C 1 1 1 5 3 2 2 15 M 1 1 2 2 1 1 8 Uncoded roads 13 23 45 42 28 74 59 29 313 30 73 110 103 102 162 151 93 824
Most Dangerous Roads in Sri Lanka: The Police Divisions of Kelaniya, Gampaha, Colombo, Nugegoda, Kegalle and Chilaw have the highest number of serious accidents. These are also areas where the main trunk roads to Colombo are located. Thus a road safety audit and improvements of the following four trunk roads is seen as deserving the highest priority as these 400 kms of roads are host to over 1,200 (or nearly 60%) of all the fatal accidents. A special police enforcement program together with steps of improving road markings, particularly centre median markings, separations and intersection improvements would have a marked effect on reducing the number of serious accidents. Colombo Kandy Road A1 (up to and including Kegalle Police Division) Colombo Galle Road A2 (up to and including Kalutara Police Division) Colombo Puttalam Road A3 ( up to including Chilaw Police Division) and Colombo Ratnapura Road A4 ( up to and including Ratnapura Police Division) Since this area is relatively small compared to the 100,000 kms of road network spread throughout the country, a focused program on these 400 kms could easily reduce fatalities by as much as 200 to 400 per year. On the basis of an effective strategy these roads qualify for urgent attention.
Identifying Offending Vehicle Types Vehicle Type Fatal Injury Damage Only Total # Rank # Rank # Rank # Rank Motor Cycle 600 1 6,104 1 2,815 6 9,519 5 Bus 498 2 3,103 3 9,475 4 13,076 3 Light Vehicle 485 3 4,003 2 18,968 1 23,456 1 Lorry 454 4 2,723 6 10,087 3 13,264 4 Bicycle 364 5 2,798 5 353 8 3,515 7 3 Wheeler 189 6 2,970 4 4,201 5 7,360 6 Car 176 7 2,002 7 17,349 2 19,527 2 Other Vehicles 116 8 342 9 1,654 7 2,112 8 Land Vehicle 85 9 346 8 350 9 781 9 2,967 24,391 65,252 92,610
Faulty Rate for Fatal Accidents by Vehicle Type Vehicle Type No of Vehicles involved in Fatal Accidents Total 2002 2001 Faulty Drivers/ Rider Faulty Rate for Fatal Accidents No of Vehicles involved in Fatal Accidents Total Faulty Drivers/ Rider Faulty Rate for Fatal Accidents Bicycle 364 87 24% 357 78 22% Motor Cycle 600 371 62% 571 362 63% 3 Wheeler 189 126 67% 159 106 67% Car 176 139 79% 150 128 85% Light Vehicle 485 403 83% 472 400 85% Land Vehicle 85 67 79% 59 44 75% Forces Vehicle 19 15 79% 26 24 92% Private Bus 415 349 84% 410 338 82% SLCTB Bus 83 65 78% 91 65 71% Lorry 454 372 82% 482 391 81% Other Vehicles 97 47 48% 113 70 62% 2,967 2,041 69% 2,891 2,006 69%
Faulty Rate for Fatal Accidents by Vehicle Type 24% Bicycle 22% 2002 2001 48% Other Vehicles 62% Motor Cycle 3 Wheeler 62% 63% 67% 67% SLCTB Bus 71% 78% Land Vehicle Lorry Private Bus Light Vehicle 79% 75% 82% 81% 84% 82% 83% 85% Car 79% 85% Forces Vehicle 79% 92% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 1 : Faulty Rate for Fatal Accidents by Vehicle Type
Faulty Rate 20 18 16 14 Fatality Rate per 000 Vehicles Fatality Rate per mn veh kms 0.7 0.6 0.5 per 000' vehicles 12 10 8 0.4 0.3 per mn veh kms 6 4 2 0.2 0.1 0 Private Bus Lorry SLCTB & Other Light Vehicle Land Vehicle Motor Cycle Car 3 Wheeler 0
Fatality Rate (contd.) Fatality Rate per 000 Vehicles Fatality Rate per mn veh kms Composit e Rank Bicycle - - - Motor Cycle 0.68 0.13 5 3 Wheeler 1.42 0.07 5 Car 0.96 0.10 5 Light Vehicle 2.21 0.16 4 Lorry 6.02 0.27 2 Private Bus 17.96 0.59 1 SLCTB & Other 10.00 0.17 3 Land Vehicle 0.58 0.16 5
Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusions Contrary to common belief, Light Vehicles and Cars are among the vehicles that are recorded as being the most involved in road accidents. However, the private buses are by far the most dangerous and most lethal vehicles on our roads in terms of the severity of accidents. In 2002, private buses were involved in 413 fatal accidents out of which the drivers of those buses were held responsible in 349 instances. The bus is the most dangerous vehicle for other road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists. The motor cycle is found to be the most dangerous vehicle to use. There have been 339 fatal accidents involving the riders themselves. Thus the bus is the most dangerous vehicle for non-motorized road users. Recommendations Training and monitoring program for bus drivers appears urgent. The emphasis on the use of safety equipment such as the use of the safety helmet and other general safety measures should be directed at cyclists and motor cyclists.
No. of Casualties & Fatalities by casualty type Casualty Type All Casualties % Fatalities % Pedestrian 7,232 30 815 37 Rider 4,095 17 339 16 Driver 3,280 13 216 10 Pax. SLCTB 486 2 26 1 Pax. Pvt Bus 1,189 5 51 2 Pax (Other) 5,119 21 388 18 Cyclist 2,922 12 340 16 24,303 2,175
Who is at fault? Casualty Type All Casualties Fatalities Total Casualty @ Fault Faulty Rate (%) Total Casualty @ Fault Faulty Rate (%) Pedestrian 7,232 462 6 815 43 5 Rider 4,095 2,223 54 339 180 53 Driver 3,280 2,122 65 216 148 69 Pax. SLCTB 486 27 6 26 1 4 Pax. Pvt Bus 1,189 74 6 51 11 22 Pax (Other) 5,119 134 3 388 20 54 Cyclist 2,922 781 26 340 83 24 24,303 5,803 24 2,175 486 22
Faulty Rate of Casualties Driver 69% 65% Rider 53% 54% Cyclist 24% 26% Passenger - Pvt Bus Passenger (Other) Pedestrian 6% 5% 3% 5% 6% 22% 95% of motorists responsible for pedestrian deaths Faulty Rate (Fatalities) Faulty Rate (All Casualties) Passenger - SLTC Bus 4% 6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Faulty Rate
How important are single vehicle accidents? Class of Accidents Total Fatal Grievous Non- Grievous Damaged Only Single Vehicle 1,180 1,527 6,459 9,784 18,950 Accidents 58% 47% 51% 27% 35% Two Vehicle Accidents Multi Vehicle Accidents 794 1,666 6,036 25,869 34,365 39% 51% 47% 70% 63% 64 93 230 1,209 1,596 3% 3% 2% 3% 3% Total 2,308 3,286 12,725 36,862 54,911
Pedestrian Casualties in Single Vehicle Accidents Pedestrian Casualties All Fatal Bicycle 174 19 Motor Cycle 1,535 110 3 Wheeler 782 59 Car 729 62 Light Vehicle 1,365 197 Private Bus 750 133 SLCTB 88 17 Lorry 716 120 Land Vehicle 66 11 Other Vehicles 176 67 Total 6,381 795
Are experienced drivers safer? > 12 yrs 18% Not known 4% No DL 23% 9-12 yrs 5% DL not required 8% 6-9 yrs 8% 3-6 yrs 9% 0-3 yrs 25% Experience of Faulty Drivers Involved in Fatal Road Accidents
Hit & Run Accidents 1 in 11 serious accidents are hit & run The victims in most instances are pedestrian & cyclists In the case of serious pedestrians casualties nearly 1 in 6 are hit & run The running away vehicles in most cases are motor cycles & light vehicles
Common movement of Pedestrians that results in accidents Pedestrian Activity Injury Type Total Fatal Grievous Non- Grievous Walking on shoulder or sidewalk 317 403 1,742 2,462 Walking on road carriageway 19 31 214 264 Crossing road not on a marked crossing 409 578 2,659 3,646 Crossing road on a marked crossing 15 28 88 131 Playing on Road 0 1 9 10 Pedestrian after drinks/drugs 1 2 3 6 Any other action 54 131 556 714 Total 815 1,147 5,271 7,233
Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusions In general it is seen that the bigger vehicle (or road user) is generally responsible for an accident with a smaller road user. Of the offending vehicles, for pedestrian casualties, the motor cycle is the most dangerous vehicle. This is possibly due to riders trying to weave in and around pedestrians, without reducing speed. Light vehicles too appear to cause many pedestrian deaths, possibly due to the high speeds at which many of them are driven and possibly due to the nature of impact on the frontal face of a van as opposed to a car or three wheeler, which may be less sympathetic to the pedestrian in an impact. Recommendations As such, campaigns that focus attention on driving habits of motor cyclists and van drivers which appear to jeopardize the pedestrian appears to be an important strategic intervention. Thus special care must be taken in all driver/rider training and testing programs as well as general awareness campaigns to highlight the need for more defensive driving/riding habits that ensure a higher respect for the rights of road users who are less conspicuous or are relatively smaller in physical size. Half of pedestrian accidents had occurred while the pedestrian was crossing the road. While jay walking may be attributed to some accidents, the absence of marked crossings where necessary is another probable cause. The absence of safe walking areas is also a major obstacle to road safety. Clearing of unauthorized structures that occupy walking areas should be made mandatory for all the road authorities.