The Transport Ministry has been overwhelmed with drivers seeking to get their licences and avoid fines since the new Traffic Law was rolled out at the beginning of the year, its minister said yesterday.

Speaking at a meeting in Phnom Penh yesterday to review the progress of the new law, Minister for Public Works and Transport Tram Iv Tek said that every time there is an announcement of tighter enforcement, drivers flood the ministry requesting their licences to be processed quicker.

“[The ministry] cannot produce it in a timely manner when people flock there . . . because they’re concerned about fines,” he said.

The minister noted that Facebook users were also complaining about the process.“This is one of the challenges that we need to solve,” he said, without going into detail on how that would be done.

Meanwhile, Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Ath Khem reported a more mundane problem with the law’s rollout: motorbike drivers were selective about wearing helmets.

“When they see us they wear them, but when we are not present they do not wear them,” he explained.