Sri Lanka to use AI to minimise fatal road accidents Minister

Colombo, May 14 (PTI) Sri Lanka would soon bring in legislation which would allow the use of artificial intelligence to combat fatal road accidents in public transport, a minister said on Wednesday.
     “The AI technology would be used to monitor driver fatigue and to prevent the drivers from falling asleep,” Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayaka told reporters here.
     Rathnayaka’s comments came after 23 people died and over 50 others were injured after a passenger bus skidded off a cliff in the Central Province last week.
     The accident occurred in Kotmale when the bus driver tried to turn on the hilly terrain.
     A probe committee report on the accident is awaited.
     The transport minister said future route permits to operate passenger transport services would depend on the ability to use such technology to monitor the physical suitability of drivers.
     “It is human that drivers fall sleepy through fatigue,” Rathnayaka said.
     He added that new laws would make wearing seat belts in public transport compulsory from 2026.
     The minister said an all-stakeholders meeting after the accident recommended several deterrent measures. This included subjecting all long-distance passenger buses to a pre-tour technical inspection.
     According to a World Bank finding, on average, Sri Lanka records over 35,000 deaths with 8,000 injuries annually, Transport Ministry officials said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)