Traffic accidents in Cambodia dipped in the first six months of 2013, down four per cent from the same time frame a year ago, according to a report by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport released yesterday.

Preap Chanvibol, director of the land transport department at the ministry, said that from January to June this year there had been 2,254 road traffic accidents, compared to 2,362 in the first half of 2012.

The report also shows that deaths were down, with 1,054 people killed in accidents up to the year’s halfway point, while 1,075 people were killed during the same period last year, a two per cent decrease.

“Traffic accidents are caused by speeding, lack of respect for traffic laws and drink driving, but we are seeing a decrease because people more clearly understand the traffic laws and with the media broadcasting information about avoiding traffic accidents,” Chanvibol said. “We hope the amount of road accidents will be reduced much more than this.”

This reduction comes two years after the implementation of Cambodia’s National Road Safety Action Plan for 2011-2020, which aims to suppress road traffic accidents and fatalities by enforcing helmet use and cracking down on speeding and drink driving.