September 22, Colombo (LNW): Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake has clarified that Sri Lanka’s newly introduced seat belt regulations are intended to improve passenger safety rather than place limits on the number of family members who can travel in a vehicle.
Speaking in Parliament, Rathnayake said a family travelling with three children and two adults could install an additional seat belt in the centre of the rear seat, allowing a child to travel safely alongside the other passengers.
The Minister said the key requirement under the new regulations was that each passenger should have access to and use an appropriate seat belt. He stressed that the authorities had no intention of introducing a blanket restriction on the number of people who could travel in a vehicle.
Vehicles already equipped with seat belts are required to have passengers use them, while owners of vehicles that were not fitted with the necessary restraints have been given a one-year period to make the required modifications. The regulations became compulsory on 19 September.
Rathnayake also pointed to a recent accident involving 11 vehicles on an expressway, in which a bus carrying schoolchildren was involved. According to the Minister, the passengers on the bus were wearing seat belts and escaped with only minor injuries.
He said the incident demonstrated the practical importance of complying with the new safety requirements, particularly when transporting children.
Rathnayake reiterated that the Government’s objective was to ensure that vehicles were properly equipped with safety restraints, rather than prevent families from travelling together. He encouraged vehicle owners to make the necessary arrangements so that every passenger, including children, can travel with adequate protection.