More than 200 people were killed in road accidents in January alone, according to a report by the Traffic Police and Public Order Department.

The report, cited by local online portal Swift News, said 206 people were killed and 559 others injured in 358 cases throughout the country.

This represents a noticeable increase compared to the same period last year, which saw 148 deaths and 517 injuries in 331 cases.

Mann Sophanna, head of the department’s Road Traffic Bureau, declined to provide details on Sunday, saying he had filed the report to higher authorities.

In a bid to reduce traffic accidents nationwide, Minister of Interior and chairman of the National Road Safety Committee Sar Kheng last week issued a prakas setting 2020 as the year to strengthen traffic law enforcement.

He said the number of road accidents last year rose sharply, with 220 deaths and 1,371 injuries more than in 2018.

Throughout last year, there were 4,121 road accidents causing 1,981 deaths and 6,141 injuries, with an average of 5.4 fatalities per day. Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk and Kandal provinces recorded the most cases.

Institute for Road Safety director Kong Ratana said the prakas alone would not be enough to address the issue. He urged traffic police to implement the law more effectively.

“If it is just a declaration from the top leader showing a will but no concrete action; it will not be able to achieve any results,” he said.

“I want to see the government inject more funds or prioritise the issue,” he said.