Minister of Interior Sar Kheng has requested that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport incorporate road safety into public education curriculums from pre-school so that small children will learn about the law and traffic signs.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the 15th World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on February 2 in Kandal province, Sar Kheng sought cooperation from all ministries and state institutions, international organisations, media, artists and private sector enterprises to spread awareness of the Road Traffic Law.
“We have already incorporated lessons pertaining to the traffic law into primary school level education programmes, but I think it should also be incorporated from the pre-school level.
“Letting pre-schoolers learn this will instil in them an understanding of the law. Other countries do so, and gradually our country has more cars and heavier traffic so we must consider conditions in the future,” he said.
Sar Kheng encouraged teachers to buy rubber traffic signs at the market and install them in their classrooms to facilitate children’s learning about them.
Education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha responded on February 2: “We continue to cooperate with the interior ministry and Handicap International to arrange road traffic safety education in curriculums and have done so since 2004. The education ministry has prepared road traffic safety education pamphlets for grades 1-9 which have been published since 2006.”
He added that the contents of the pamphlets have been fully incorporated into school books used by students in grades 1-6. Grade 7-9 students reviewed the contents when issued the pamphlets. Instructional materials have been provided for students and teachers, and teachers had been comprehensively trained in the matter since 2009.
“Road traffic safety education for grade 10-12 students has been conducted in collaborative forums organised by the two ministries and Handicap International. Documents used in the forums include the sub-decree on the Road Traffic Law and other instructive materials,” Soveacha said.
Sar Kheng noted that day of commemoration allowed people to share in victims’ pain and reminded road users to learn about the risk of the accidents caused by reckless driving and disrespect for the law.
An interior ministry report noted that traffic law enforcement nationwide last year was more effective than in 2019 as there had been a reduction of 942 reported traffic accidents amounting to a 23 per cent drop, while road fatalities decreased by 335 (17 per cent) and injuries declined by 1,455 (24 per cent).
