As part of the National Road Safety Programme, the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development today launched a mobile medical laboratory (Mobile Lab) service at the Bastion Mawatha Main Bus Stand in Colombo. The initiative aims to identify drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs and facilitate timely legal action.
The Mobile Lab allows for testing of four types of drugs, with results available within 2–3 minutes. Plans are underway to expand its capabilities to test up to 12 types of drugs in the future. Previously, legal action could only be taken against drivers under the influence of alcohol, but new regulations submitted to Parliament under the Motor Vehicle Act by Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayake now provide legal provisions to address drug-impaired driving.
The service is jointly implemented by the National Transport Commission, the National Institute of Transport Medicine, and the Sri Lanka Police. Drivers’ urine samples are tested on-site, and results are provided immediately along with an official result sheet.
Initially centered in the Western Province, the program is set to expand to other provinces across the island. The measure is part of a broader effort to reduce traffic accidents, which claim more than 2,500 lives annually in Sri Lanka and cause significant property damage.
Officials present at the launch included Prof. U.C.P. Perera, Chairman of the National Institute of Transport Medicine; Dr. Nilan Miranda, Director General of the National Transport Commission; B.M. Iftikhar, Director of Quality Assurance; Deputy Inspector General D.P.J. Senadhira of the Police Road Safety Division; along with a large group of drivers, conductors, and other stakeholders.
