Roadworthiness Test Every 5,000km Now Cabinet-Approved — Safety Win or Just More Queues?

Cabinet has approved the Motor Vehicles (Inspection) Regulations No. 03 of 2026, which now goes to Parliament, adding a roadworthiness certificate for private vehicles on top of the existing annual emission test. The plan under discussion: a fitness check every 5,000km or roughly three months, done at registered garages, capped at Rs 2,000 a visit, with full rollout targeted for early 2027. Supporters say this catches bald tyres, dead brakes and loose steering before they cause a crash, and point to how many expressway wrecks trace back to basic mechanical failure, not just speed. Critics say Sri Lanka can't even run the current VET system cleanly, with touts and dodgy certificates showing up at some centres, so a second, more frequent test just multiplies the queues and the backhanders, and costs owners far more than Rs 2,000 a year once you count lost work time and travel to a garage. Would a roadworthiness test every three months actually make the roads safer, or is it one more fee stacked on owners already stretched by revenue licence and VET costs? If you've dealt with fitness tests on buses or lorries, tell us whether private cars should really face the same cycle. මෙහෙම නිතර පාස් සහතික ගන්න ගියොත් ගරාජ් එකටම ජීවිතේ යවන්න වෙයිද? ඔබේ අදහස මොකක්ද?