Police Crack Down on Modified 4x4s — Fair Safety Check or Killing a Hobby?

Police have stepped up checks on lifted suspensions, winches, snorkels and oversized off-road tyres on SUVs and double cabs. The 4x4 community says they've asked the DMT for proper inspection and certification rules instead of a blanket crackdown, and they're not asking to dodge the law — just for someone to separate a genuine safety build from an unsafe one. Owners point to flood rescues, post-tsunami relief convoys and search-and-rescue runs into terrain no ambulance can reach — real public service, done on their own fuel and their own money. Critics say half these "off-road builds" never leave the city, a lifted truck blocks sightlines and footpaths, and a snorkel sitting in a Colombo jam is just show, not function. Where should the line sit — certify genuine off-roaders and leave them alone, or check every modified 4x4 the same way at the roadside? If your vehicle's been flagged, or you've flagged someone else's as a hazard, what actually happened when the police stopped you? ඔයාගේ වැනකල් වහනයක් පොලිසියෙන් නැවැත්තුවද? මොකක්ද වුනේ?