The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) in Cambodia has called for increased law enforcement against children and election campaigners who do not wear motorcycle helmets during the upcoming national election campaign season.

The proposal was made during the semi-annual coordination meeting between the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), relevant government institutions, civil society organisations and the private sector, in late February.

AIP Cambodia director Kim Pagna said that traffic accidents were a global challenge and a social concern that no country could afford to ignore.

“Many additional vehicles are registered each year, and many new drivers take to the roads, so we encourage the strict, transparent, consistent enforcement of traffic laws,” he added.

“AIP suggests that the authorities enforce the law on children not wearing helmets. We also encourage the NRSC to take action against anyone who disobeys traffic laws while participating in an election rally – especially those who do not wear helmets while riding on the streets,” he continued.

Pagna said he had also asked for support for training driving instructors in factories and schools that could teach people to drive motorcycles with engines of 125cc and below. Ultimately, the organisation’s goal is to place instructors nationwide.

“We have also suggested that the traffic police hotline be included on ‘how’s my driving?’ stickers that would be voluntarily placed on the trucks used to transport factory workers,” he added.

An NRSC report showed that in 2022, there were 2,976 road traffic accidents, which resulted in 1,709 deaths and 4,026 injuries – 2,579 of them serious. On average, eight accidents causing five fatalities and 11 injuries occurred each day.

Excessive speed was recorded as the main contributing factor in 38 per cent of the crashes, with a failure to give way causing 24 per cent of the crashes. A failure to keep right and careless overtaking were blamed for 11 and 10 per cent of the accidents respectively, with the remainder being blamed on poor cornering, driving under the influence, mechanical issues or fatigued drivers.

Phnom Penh suffered the moat fatalities, with 272, followed by Kandal, with 157, and Kampong Cham, with 131.

The accident rate increased from 2021, although this is likely due to widespread Covid-19 restrictions for part of the year.

When compared to 2019, the number of accidents decreased by 28 per cent, with 272 less people losing their lives on the roads.