Police tighten grip on noisy vehicles and drug-impaired driving

Colombo, June 13 (Daily Mirror) - In response to a surge in public complaints and reports of reckless driving, the Sri Lanka Police have launched a nationwide operation targeting vehicles with modified or excessively loud exhaust systems, with authorities now impounding offending vehicles instead of issuing routine traffic fines.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Traffic Control and Road Safety), W. P. J. Senadheera, said that the crackdown aims to maintain public peace during the upcoming Poson festival season and prevent disruptive gatherings on public roads.

DIG Senadheera warned of a growing trend among youth, who are reportedly assembling groups of 10 to 15 modified motorcycles and three-wheelers to perform dangerous stunts and street races.

"There is a dangerous new trend emerging now. Groups of young people gather, whether in a village or a town, and assemble a fleet of 10 to 15 motorcycles. If you look at these bikes, their silencers have been modified to emit excessively loud noise. They travel around on these modified bikes, and to get an extra thrill or high, they consume narcotics or resort to prescription tablets," the DIG said.

He said, recently in the Mahabage area on the day after Vesak, six young people were arrested for doing stunts on motorcycles, and when tested, all of them were found using drugs, or at the very least, prescription pills.

The DIG said that this has turned into an immediate threat.

"Currently, out of the total vehicle population in our country, 5.1 million are motorcycles. The vast majority of these are low-budget Indian bikes. These low-budget models were imported so that the public could easily afford them to fulfil their essential, daily transportation needs. They were never meant for racing or stunt riding. They are meant to be ridden within the legal speed limits and with proper safety gear. Yet, these low-budget bikes are being used for racing and riding on a single wheel," he said.

Furthermore, there are 1.2 million three-wheelers in the country, and investigations revealed that many of them are modifying their exhaust systems to emit high-decibel noise as well.

"Because of this, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has issued strict directives to the Traffic Police and all regional police stations and senior officers. In the past, when we encountered vehicles with excessive noise, we usually just issued a spot fine. But they never actually fix the issue. Previously, we only looked for minor faults like a hole in the silencer. But now, we have issued clear instructions: if any vehicle is found using a modified silencer that produces excessive noise, the police will immediately impound the motorcycle. This enforcement will be strictly carried out, especially with the upcoming Poson festival season, so that past disruptive behaviour is not repeated," DIG Senadheera said.

Citing a strong correlation between reckless driving and narcotics use, the police said they will conduct immediate roadside drug testing using new mouth swab kits and mobile medical laboratories. Drivers who fail or refuse the tests will be referred to Judicial Medical Officers (JMOs) for formal laboratory testing to generate court-ready evidence.

"Following that, we will obtain official reports from the Motor Traffic Inspectors and file heavy charges in court. The fines can range from 50,000 to 75,000 rupees," he said.

The DIG said that the IGP has instructed all officers to enforce this law 100% effectively.