Gov’t to amend traffic law as death toll continues to rise
THE government is set to amend traffic laws as the nationwide death toll from road accidents continue to rise. Speaking at the 2nd annual conference on road safety on Thursday, Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol, who is also vicechairman of the National Road Safety Committee, said relevant institutions will put more effort to strengthen implementation of the law.
“[Interior Minister Sar Kheng] has adv ised us to create a working group to amend the Law on Road Traffic to make it st r icter and to impose more fines on
of fenders,” he said.
He said the amendment aims to tack le modified trucks transporting goods more than weight limits and not complying with technica l standards. He said t he Kingdom’s ex ist ing tra f fic law is weaker than ot her countries.
“If a truck is found to be overloaded, we can confiscate it for one month, for example. This amendment is made to prevent our roads from being such trucks.
“We have just set up a working group to study it comprehensively before amending the law. We have to review it damaged by thoroughly to ensure better law enforcement,” he said.
Chanthol said the death toll from traffic accidents stood at 1,800 last year and is expected to rise to more than 2,000 this year. He said such preventable loss of lives cost the economy around $350 million a year.
In the first six months of this year, Chanthol added, the death toll from traffic accidents stood at 1,033 and would rise further if the law is not strengthened.
“Despite our strong efforts, the number of deaths from road accidents remains high. I urge everyone to please respect the law.”
Kim Panha, the director of AIP Foundation which organised the conference, echoed Chanthol’s concerns.
“The number of deaths from traffic accidents is still high, especially in the first six months of this year. The death toll could rise to 3,012 this year if no proper measures are taken.”
The death toll from traffic accidents stood at 1,800 last year and is expected to rise to more than 2,000 this year