Traffic accidents, deaths down in Q1
MINISTER of Interior Sar Kheng praised the police’s enforcement of the laws on road traffic in the first quarter of this year, with the number of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents down compared to the same period last year.
According to a report by the National Road Safety Committee released on April 2, in the first quarter of 2021 a total of 763 road traffic accidents occurred, or 153 fewer accidents compared to the same period in 2020 – a decrease of 17 per cent.
“There were 60 fewer deaths from traffic accidents in the first quarter, with a total of 433. The number of people injured in traffic accidents was 1,113 – a decrease of 202 or equivalent to a 15 per cent reduction – compared to the same quarter in 2020 when there were 1,315 injuries,” the report said.
The contents of the report earned praise from Sar Kheng.
“As the chairman of the National Road Safety Committee, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the [community spirit] shown by the ... leadership and police officers of the General Commission of National police, Capital-Provincial Administrative Unity Command, Capital and Provincial Police Commission, Municipal-District Police inspectorate and other joint authorities,” Sar Kheng said in a Facebook post.
Sar Kheng also thanked all members of the public driving vehicles on Cambodia’s roads for showing good citizenship by consistently obeying traffic laws at all times while travelling.
“Due to the strict observance of the law by [more Cambodians], the number of traffic accidents and the number of casualties is declining,” he said.
Kong Sovann, deputy director of the road safety programme at the Ministry of Rural Development, said that decreasing numbers of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents is a good sign, however, further restrictions must be implemented and the government should encourage more investment in road safety work.
“When the government . . . invests in [driver’s] education and the promotion [of road safety], the investment saves lives and improves the welfare of the people as the country develops further,” he said.
However, Sovann noted that in the absence of increased traffic enforcement and education the number of accidents would likely increase again.
“If there is extensive education and law enforcement applies penalties and restrictions consistently, the number of deaths and injuries decreases. But if law enforcement becomes a bit sluggish, then the death toll and injuries will be on the rise,” he said.