Sri Lanka on Monday announced a sharp rise in fines for reckless driving, which kills nearly 3,000 people a year on the island. Transport minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the fine for overtaking from the wrong side - a key cause of accidents - would be raised to 25,000 rupees ($166), 50 times the current rate.
The fine for drunk driving will rise from 3,500 rupees to a minimum of 25,000, roughly the monthly salary of a blue-collar worker. De Silva announced the move after talks with bus owners, drivers of three-wheeler taxis and school van operators, who police statistics show are among the worst offenders. They had protested a move earlier this month to increase the minimum fine to 2,500 rupees, up from 500 rupees for the most common traffic violations.
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