COLOMBO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will introduce measures to detect drivers who use heroin, cocaine and other drugs from January 2023, an official said on Tuesday.

State Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna told journalists that at the present time in the South Asian country law enforcement authorities only conduct tests to detect drunk drivers.

In Sri Lanka, 42,000 road accidents happen every year and around 3,000 lives are lost, with the country incurring losses of close to 220 million U.S. dollars due to these accidents, Alagiyawanna said.

"Police have uncovered that a large number of road accidents are caused by those on drugs. However, there are no mechanisms to test drivers for drugs and this is a problem. That's why we will introduce these new mechanisms from January 2023," he said.

Alagiyawanna said the transport authority has already put in place a demerit points system for driving licenses since January this year.