Police Crack Down on Tourists Driving Without a Licence — Should Owners Pay Too?

Police have just tightened the rules on renting vehicles to tourists: tuk-tuk, scooter and car rental operators must now check that a foreign client holds a valid International Driving Permit for the right vehicle class, a Department of Motor Traffic conversion certificate, or a proper local permit before handing over the keys. The push follows real numbers — five foreign nationals died driving here in 2025, and this year police logged seven serious accidents, 78 minor-injury cases and six damage incidents involving foreign drivers, with some tourists even duped by forged permits. The law doesn't stop at the driver either: if an owner knowingly lets an unlicensed foreigner take the wheel, both can be prosecuted. Renters who rely on tourist income say the paperwork is a hassle that'll just push business underground to agents who don't ask questions. Locals who share the road say it's overdue — untrained foreigners on unfamiliar tuk-tuks and scooters are a menace on narrow roads and at junctions. If you rent out tuk-tuks or bikes, do you actually check permits, or does the cash matter more? And if you've shared a road with a wobbling tourist scooter, what happened? ඇත්තටම අලුත සංචාරකයෙක්ට බයික් එකක් දෙනකොට license එක check කරනවද?