Research
Cambodians are on the move, with more and more cars and motos taking to the streets each day. On my blog, I recently wrote about the impact of Cambodia’s urban development on traffic congestion and the challenges of keeping up with the rising number of drivers. In response to my blog, Vithoureakborndidh asked, “How can Cambodians address road safety issues with more drivers on the road and respect the law?”
The most troubling aspect of Cambodia’s burgeoning traffic is the rise in traffic fatalities and injuries, with graphic stories about traffic accidents appearing almost daily on the front pages of the newspapers. Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Cambodia, estimated to cost the country $310 million per year. Motorcycle accidents alone account for 75 percent of all traffic deaths. Traffic fatalities have doubled in Cambodia over the last five years, so road safety is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.
Several factors exacerbate this upward trend in traffic fatalities. First, the roads in Cambodia were not designed to handle the high speeds at which some vehicles travel these days. While physical improvements to the road system could help, driver education and behavior modification are the keys to reducing the number of accidents. A 2012 study by Handicap International Belgium found that less than 30 percent of Cambodian drivers understood traffic signs and the concept of speed limits. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, 80 percent of motorcycle drivers do not have a driving license, and an estimated 70 percent of automobile drivers illegally purchased their driving licenses from a private driving school. I also read recently that only six percent of commercial freight vehicles can pass Cambodia’s road safety inspections. Education and enforcement efforts to address these troubling facts would go a long way toward helping the country reduce traffic accidents.
Another factor contributing
The most troubling aspect of Cambodia’s burgeoning traffic is the rise in traffic fatalities and injuries, with graphic stories about traffic accidents appearing almost daily on the front pages of the newspapers. Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Cambodia, estimated to cost the country $310 million per year. Motorcycle accidents alone account for 75 percent of all traffic deaths. Traffic fatalities have doubled in Cambodia over the last five years, so road safety is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.
Several factors exacerbate this upward trend in traffic fatalities. First, the roads in Cambodia were not designed to handle the high speeds at which some vehicles travel these days. While physical improvements to the road system could help, driver education and behavior modification are the keys to reducing the number of accidents. A 2012 study by Handicap International Belgium found that less than 30 percent of Cambodian drivers understood traffic signs and the concept of speed limits. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, 80 percent of motorcycle drivers do not have a driving license, and an estimated 70 percent of automobile drivers illegally purchased their driving licenses from a private driving school. I also read recently that only six percent of commercial freight vehicles can pass Cambodia’s road safety inspections. Education and enforcement efforts to address these troubling facts would go a long way toward helping the country reduce traffic accidents.
Another factor contributing