Addressing a media gathering yesterday in Colombo, he said the above key statistics and factors contributing to accidents on expressways were revealed following a survey report.

According to the survey, 56% of accidents on expressways are attributed to driver negligence, underscoring the grave consequences of such incidents. Among these accidents, 35% resulted in fatalities or permanent disabilities, illustrating the severity of the issue.

Over the thirteen years since the construction of the Southern Expressway, a total of 9,375 road accidents have been recorded, with 5,292 attributed to driver negligence. Tragically, these accidents claimed the lives of 66 individuals and left 637 permanently disabled, Dr. Hettiarachchi said.