SINCE August 1, when authorities began stepping up enforcement of the Land Traffic Law, more than 60,000 vehicles have been temporarily impounded, police officials said Sunday.

Hem Ya, deputy chief of the Phnom Penh Police Commissariat, said that vehicles have been held in order to educate owners who break the law.

"I think that so far, 80 percent of Cambodian people respect the traffic law. The other 20 percent, mostly teenagers under the age of 25, don't seem to respect the law and don't want to wear helmets," he said. Of the 60,000 vehicles seized, cars accounted for 300, he added.

Rather than fining drivers stopped for violations, Hem Ya said, police send their vehicles to police outposts, where drivers are forced to buy helmets or replace missing mirrors.

Sem Panhavuth, manager of the Cambodia Road Traffic Accident and Victim Information System of Handicap International Belgium, said Sunday that he was pleased with enforcement of the Traffic Law thus far, though he, too, was concerned about younger drivers, who he said were the "most vulnerable" to accidents.