It is Avurudu season and Sri Lankans are heading ‘home’ or back to their villages in droves. Despite the political turmoil and the economic crisis, Avurudu is a period of the year, everyone gathers together to celebrate what we have to be thankful for; family, community and shared aspirations for a better journey ahead. Given the cost of living, and the multiple crises we face each day, it is prudent to enjoy the festive period with an eye for caution. We should all work towards avoiding accidents and injuries.
The Government reports that a significant portion of accidental injuries during this festive period, approximately 36%, are attributed to the use of fireworks, along with 17% of eye injuries reported during this time are due to the use of firecrackers and fireworks. Driver fatigue, reckless driving and drunk driving is also known to rise during the festive period.
Each year, New Year’s Eve (31 December) and the Avurudu season see a spike in injuries due to fireworks. Many victims are children, who are often left unsupervised by adults with fireworks, a deadly combination. Parents and elders need to be able to manage the use of fireworks, especially with younger children. Fireworks are essentially low grade explosives, and should be used with care. Annually, children are hospitalised with injuries to their hands, face, eyes, and ears and with burn injuries. Medical specialists urge caution in the use of fireworks, and stress the importance of not tolerating children abusing fireworks, particularly the use of them on domestic animals such as cats and dogs, who have sensitive hearing and are often traumatised by loud explosion sounds.
Last year (2023), nearly four dozen persons with injuries due to motoring accidents and due to fireworks-related injuries were admitted to the Colombo National Hospital within hours after the dawn of the New Year. Yesterday, the Government moved to raise awareness about the risks involving motor traffic accidents and fireworks-related ones, with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport and the National Council on Road Safety holding a special press conference to address the issue. A key concern relating to motoring accidents are the high frequency of accidents involving motorbikes and three-wheelers, both which offer little in the way of physical security and safety features for the respective riders or passengers. Dr. Sajith Ranathunga, a consultant surgeon at the National Hospital Colombo, highlighted the concerning increase in fatalities resulting from head-on collisions, three-wheeler accidents, and motorcycle accidents. He emphasised that many individuals injured in these severe accidents have suffered serious injuries and many take long periods of care to fully recover. Underscoring the long-term impact of such incidents. Dr. Ranathunga noted that a significant proportion of fatal accidents occur outside of expressways, with approximately ten deaths occurring daily as a result. Drunk driving during the festive period is also a key reason for accidents.
Meanwhile, the National Transport Commission stressed that the public should come forward and report erratic and reckless driving, especially of vehicles which are used for public transport. A hotline, 1955, is available round-the-clock to report drivers violating traffic regulations, the Commission said. Dr. Chamod Hettiarachchi, a member of the Advisory Committee for Expressway Safety Actions provided insights during the media briefing, highlighting key statistics and factors contributing to accidents on expressways. He emphasised that 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, of which 5,292 have been attributed to driver negligence, Dr. Hettiarachchi claimed. “Tragically, these accidents claimed the lives of 66 individuals and left 637 permanently disabled,” he added.
As such, it is important that we all keep the risks and concerns regarding safety while motoring and the safe and responsible use of fireworks this Avurudu holiday.