Seat belts mandatory for expressway bus passengers from today

It has been made mandatory for passengers traveling in passenger transport buses on expressways to wear seat belts starting today (September 1).

The Chairman of the National Council for Road Safety, Manjula Kularatne, stated that legal action is expected to be taken against those who violate the relevant decision.

However, he added that a three-month grace period will be granted for the installation of seat belts in certain vehicles that are not currently equipped with them.

On August 31, a gazette notification was issued containing regulations that make it mandatory for passengers in expressway buses to wear seat belts.

Meanwhile, on August 30, the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake explained that this initiative is being implemented as a key component of the “Clean Sri Lanka” program. 

The Minister further pointed out that the price of seat belts, which was around Rs. 2,000 previously, has now risen to between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000. He stressed that this price increase should be monitored by the Consumer Affairs Authority.