Road deaths in Cambodia went up during the three-day Water Festival holiday this year, but the number of injuries was down compared to the same period last year.
According to a report issued by the National Police on Sunday, there were 36 traffic accidents during this year’s holiday that began on October 30. The accidents left 19 people dead and 53 injured, an increase of nine deaths and a decrease of 24 injuries compared to the same period last year. Last year, 10 people were killed and 77 injured.
The main causes of the accidents were attributed to speeding, driving drunk and disrespecting traffic laws, the report said.
Minister of interior Sar Kheng, who is also chairman of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), reiterated his call for motorists to respect traffic law.
“The active effort to maintain order and improve traffic safety has reduced the number of accidents, deaths and injuries compared to the first nine months of 2019,” he said.
According to the NRSC, there were 2,430 road accidents resulting in 1,257 fatalities, 2,265 serious injuries and 1,401 minor injuries in the first nine months of this year.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of road accidents decreased by 727, fatalities by 266, serious injuries by 755 and minor injuries by 293
Meanwhile, the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) recently announced the establishment of seven technical teams to work with government agencies to assist efforts to reduce traffic accidents in Cambodia.
