Tightening of Traffic Law Enforcement to Save Lives

Tightening of Traffic Law Enforcement to Save Lives

During the celebration of International Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims held in Kandal province, Mr. Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister, said some people have criticised the police for issuing fines for traffic violations, as the pandemic has made it more difficult to earn a living. However, he added, police are still continuing to strengthen the traffic law in order to save lives.

“If you do not want to run out of money or waste time while travelling, respect the road traffic law. The benefit is not for me. I do it for the benefit of all to protect lives from traffic accidents,” he said.

Mr. Sar Kheng said the purpose of the law is to reduce the number of traffic accidents as well as the injuries and deaths caused by them and not to oppress people.

He said during COVID-19 police have tightened the road traffic law. He has received mixed reactions, he added, both positive and negative. “My main goal is to reduce traffic accidents as a whole, reduce deaths, injuries and save lives.”

Mr. Sar Kheng said he has no intention of taking money from people for no reason, but the practice so far has been effective.

He added that many motorcyclists wear helmets during the day, but most do not wear them at night. He called on riders to protect their own lives and wear their helmets at night.

He also instructed relevant authorities to strengthen administrative services related to traffic, such as driving licence examinations. He said he has received reports of some people giving bribes to obtain driver’s licences illegally.

Mr. Sar Kheng encouraged people to report problems at the local level to the authorities or on his personal Facebook page.

Soun Sovanchan Monyroath, a traffic accident victim, said that she and her grandmother were in a motorcycle crash two months ago, causing injuries to their heads and legs.

“The traffic accident made it difficult for my family because I had to be hospitalised and miss school. I call on drivers to obey the traffic laws at all times to save lives. Everyone’s life is very important and precious,” she said.

According to a National Police report, 3,179 traffic accidents were recorded last year compared to 4,121 cases in 2019.

It said the nationwide road fatality rate had decreased by 335 deaths, or around 17 percent, compared to 2019 when 1,981 people died.

The number of injuries as a result of traffic accidents also dropped by 24 percent within the same time frame, from 6,141 in 2019 to 4,486 this year, according to the report.

It said that last year, police inspected a total of 1.7 million vehicles, 65 percent of those being motorcycles, with 355,885 offences being identified, equivalent to 20 percent of all those inspected. Most offences involved people not wearing helmets.

Deputy National Police Chief General Him Yan said: “Last year’s traffic law enforcement yielded excellent results which reduced the traffic accident rate and the number of people killed.”

He said, however, up to 60 percent of all vehicles still violate speed limits, something that still needs to be tackled moving forward.