Eight out of 10 Cambodian coach drivers high on meth, says police

[geovalin]

• Hugh Morris

 

Road-side drug testing by Cambodian police has uncovered that eight in 10 night time coach drivers in the country’s Battambang province were high on methamphetamine.

Checkpoints were set up in the area in the north west of the country in response to a spike in deaths caused by road traffic accidents this summer. Since the beginning of August nearly 30 people died on the region's roads, a sharp increase on the 32 that died in the first seven months of the year.

 

After coaches and trucks were stopped and drivers told to take urine tests, officials found traces of drugs in 80 per cent of samples, with “yaba” or "yama" – a pill that contains both methamphetamine and caffeine – the main culprit, according to Cambodia Daily.

Yaba often comes as a small, red pill Credit: Getty

Deputy provincial police chief Chet Vanny told the newspaper that the majority of those tested were behind the wheel of “commercial buses or trucks”.

“When they use drugs before driving, they drive very fast and cause accidents,” he said.

Mr Vanny said that drivers that tested positive for drugs were warned of the dangers of driving while under the influence and “sent on their way”.

 

Drivers were required to thumbprint a statement agreeing not to use drugs while driving again.

Battambang is a popular tourist destination. After visiting for Telegraph Travel in 2012, Christopher Hudson wrote: “It is a sleepy place, its wide, tree-shaded streets near the river lined with French colonial architecture.”

It is only three hours drive from Siem Reap and the temple complexes of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

 

read more http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/cambodia/articles/eight-out-of-ten-cambodian-drivers-high-on-meth-says-police/

[craigt3365]

Since you can buy drugs freely all over Cambodia, I guess this makes sense.

[SOTIRIOS]

....only in Cambodia....???

 

...it would explain certain accident rates....

[cruisemonkey]

34 minutes ago, SOTIRIOS said:

....only in Cambodia....???

 

...it would explain certain accident rates....

 

Naw... in Thailand, it's nine out of ten.

[Kabula]

Mr Vanny said that drivers that tested positive for drugs were warned of the dangers of driving while under the influence and “sent on their way”.

 

Hmmmm...sent on their way.

 

I wonder if there were any serious accidents from drivers who tested positive for drugs?

[Doc46]

What is the % in Thailand ??? Same or Worse?  Maybe a good idea to test Thailand's So Called Drivers  &  if they test Positive Put them in Jail for a few years.

[KBsinter]

Not going to happen,sorry to say.

[monkey4u]

The other 2% of drivers are alcoholics