Ineffective laws leave Cambodia's roads unsafe

[geovalin]

 

Despite government efforts to improve road safety, traffic accidents continue to cause a high rate of deaths and significant financial loss in Cambodia. What can be done to cut down on the number of crashes?

Cambodia has seen a dramatic rise in the number of motor vehicles on its streets in recent years. This increase has been accompanied by a jump in traffic accidents, many of which result in deaths and serious injuries. In 2015, there were 4,595 accidents reported in Cambodia, which together killed 2,265 people - an increase of 117 from the year before - and severely injured more than 4,400.

 

Traffic laws and regulations, lacking proper implementation, have done little to slow the loss of life. For instance, over 80 percent of the vehicles sold in Cambodia do not meet basic safety standards, says Ear Chariya, director of the Phnom Penh-based Institute for Road Safety. Cambodia also incurs a significant financial cost every year as a result of poor road safety. The country lost $337 million in 2013 as a result of the accidents, the nongovernmental organization Handicap International estimated.

 

Ineffective laws?

Furthermore, drivers in Cambodia often violate traffic laws and drunk driving is common. And in 50 percent of the accident cases, the perpetrators of the accidents go unpunished. This is why many experts and international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) are calling on rapidly motorizing low and middle income countries like Cambodia to ensure the effective implementation of the laws and standards.

 

read more http://www.dw.com/en/ineffective-laws-leave-cambodias-roads-unsafe/a-19449800

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Gee, what other nearby country could the same, and worse, be said of???

[mcfish]

Wow first reply spins it back towards thailand lol.

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[connda]

So far so good!  17.4 traffic deaths / 100,000 vs 36.2 traffic deaths / 100,000, i.e., less than half*.

Guess which one is Cambodia and which one is Thailand? 
[hint: Thailand = second most dangerous roads in the world].

Think I'll schedule a road trip in Cambodia.  Maybe I can relax and enjoy my bpai tiaow for a change. 

 

*Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, Road Traffic Deaths by Country, 2013.

Edited August 5, 2016 by connda

[Emster23]

Suggest they do look to Thailand for model, then do the opposite. Should have problem fixed in no time.

[RandG]

Ineffective laws, or ineffective policing?