Fire extinguishers in cars is mandatory

The fire extinguishers must have a facility of 400 grams or 400 millilitres. Vehicles transporting flammable products will have to be equipped with two types of fire extinguishers, one of them containing 9 litres of chemical foam and other containing 10 kg of fire control powder.

Moreover, motorcycle speedometers will be regularly checked by the police to ensure they are working.

The new road regulations about the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles and buses, registration of cars number plates will come into force on July 1. Vehicle owners who do not meet the norms will be given a certificate that will be valid for only six months after being examined by vehicle examination centres.

The new regulations, as advised by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping should have come into force in 2010. While some regulations such as fire-extinguishers and seat belts were applied, the National Transport Authority was not ready to respond to the new regulations established by the ministry within this limited available time.

However many people were not aware of the new regulations due to the lack of awareness campaigns.