8.8m Vehicles on RMV's Books, Only 6m Insured — Will a Digital Card Fix That?

Sri Lanka's insurance regulator says RMV has about 8.8 million vehicles on its books, but only around 6 million carry active insurance — meaning roughly 2.8 million are running around with no cover at all. The new digital insurance card, accepted since May 2026, is supposed to make checking cover instant for police and insurers, replacing the plastic certificate everyone used to forge or just "forget to renew." Supporters say a database that talks to RMV and the police in real time will finally catch the three-wheelers, vans, and old cars that quietly drop out of the insurance pool after the first year. Skeptics point out the card only works if an officer actually scans it, and plenty of checkpoints still just glance at a sticker on the windscreen. There's also the harder question of who pays when an uninsured vehicle hits yours — the compensation fund backing that is thin. Have you ever been hit by someone with no insurance, or had a claim delayed because the other side's cover had lapsed? Did your own insurance or revenue licence checks actually get stricter this year? ඔබේ වාහනයේ විමා කාලය ඉකුත් වී තියෙනවද? පොලිසිය දැන් හරියටම පරීක්ෂා කරනවද?