The highest numbers of casualties of road accidents in Sri Lanka are motorcyclists and 950 of them died on the roads last year.
During the last year, 638 pedestrians and 159 cyclists were killed in road accidents.
Moreover, motorcyclists are responsible for most fatal accidents causing 5,592 road accidents during the last five years.
This was revealed during an awareness programme conducted by the Transport Ministry for motorcyclists on how to ride safely in keeping with road rules to prevent motorcycle accidents.
Motorcyclists were also educated on the importance of wearing helmets which are on par with international standards.
During the programme, common reasons for the accidents caused by motorcyclists were identified. The main reasons are not wearing safety helmets, riding at high speed and drunk driving.
The authorities urged motorcyclists to purchase and use helmets bearing the SLS 517 certification issued by the SLSI.
The first awareness programme was launched under the patronage of Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge at the Galle Face Green.