The Police have announced that the regulation making the wearing of seatbelts mandatory for vehicles traveling on expressways will be strictly enforced starting tomorrow (19).
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manoj Ranagala, Director of the Traffic Administration and Road Safety Division, stated that as the one-year grace period granted for this measure ends today, legal action will be taken against drivers and passengers traveling on expressways without seatbelts from tomorrow onwards.
Accordingly, he noted that vehicles lacking seatbelts will not be permitted to enter the expressway starting tomorrow.
The Police emphasize that all passengers—whether in the front or rear seats—of all vehicles traveling on expressways must wear seatbelts.
SSP Manoj Ranagala pointed out that this regulation is being strictly enforced because the failure to wear seatbelts increases the risk of accidents and the severity of potential injuries. He also noted that the implementation of this law aims not merely to impose fines or take legal action, but to safeguard the lives of drivers and passengers.
The police have specifically advised that passengers traveling in the rear seats of vehicles must also wear seatbelts and have warned against attempting to enter expressways in vehicles that are not equipped with seatbelts.
Manjula Kularatne, Chairman of the National Council for Road Safety, stated that although the law making seatbelt use mandatory was introduced about a year ago, a grace period had to be granted for full implementation because some older vehicles were not originally fitted with seatbelts by their manufacturers.