Traffic Law

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema has instructed municipal officials to begin informing drivers about the importance of wearing seatbelts, adding that those who fail to do so will soon be forced to pay fines under the Land Traffic Law. During a meeting at City Hall Monday, he said 90 percent of drivers do not wear seatbelts. "For my own driver, I will not go with him if he is not wearing a seatbelt," Kep Chuktema said. "We must respect the law." Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said car drivers were generally less likely than motorbike drivers to listen to instructions from police officers, though he said police would still work to "educate them about wearing seatbelts". He said officers would begin administering fines "soon", though he did not mention a specific date. Sung Chanthan, who has driven a car in the capital for the past seven years, said he routinely flouted the seatbelt rule because he found wearing one to be "uncomfortable". Nevertheless, he said he supported City Hall's plan to enforce the rule, which he said would make roads safer.