Marking the one-year anniversary of a disastrous crash on National Road 4 in Kompong Speu province that left 14 dead and 23 injured, the Coalition for Road Safety launched a new campaign on Monday.
As part of the campaign, about 20 student volunteers were dispatched to traffic lights at three locations in Phnom Penh to distribute leaflets educating drivers about the need to wear helmets and seat belts, the importance of obeying traffic rules and the perils of drunk driving.
There were 790 traffic accidents in Phnom Penh in 2004 resulting in 206 deaths and 1,253 injuries, the pamphlet read. It was a 14 percent increase from 2003, when there were 693 accidents, 180 deaths and 1,057 injuries.
Traffic police on duty Monday said that drunk drivers and careless young motorists were responsible for much of the increase in traffic accidents.
“It’s hard for us to educate them,” said traffic policeman Sok Suon Bandaul. “Especially for the youth, they always [break traffic rules].”
Chhorn Van, 45, said traffic accidents had already taken a devastating toll on his family.
“A [driver] hit my 20-year-old son, and he asked us to pay for his luxury car’s damage,” he said. “My son was in the right, but [the driver] was the son of a powerful official, so I paid them $200 and then paid more to treat my son’s injuries.”
Seng Marady, a local high school student, said he would bring the safe-driving message home to his friends and family.
“Today you hit someone and run away, tomorrow your relatives will be in an accident,” he said.
A vendor who identified himself only as Sorn blamed much of the road carnage on drunk driving.
“Many drivers drive when they are drunk and abuse traffic signs and run red lights,” he said.
