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| A taxi is overloaded during public holiday. (Photo by Heng Chivoan) |
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| An accident at Kbal Thnal bridge in 2011. (Photo by So Visal) |
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Touch Yin Vannith and Ou Banung
The Phnom Penh Post
Amid celebrations and ceremonies that centre on happiness, we often lose sight of the tragedy that holidays can bring.
Traffic-related injuries and fatalities still remain the case of
concern as the Kingdom gears up to celebrate the Khmer New Year.
International NGO Handicap International has explored an important
correlation in the numbers between traffic accidents and national
holidays.
“Khmer New Year brings an increase in the amount of traffic
accidents, more than any other national holiday because of the amount of
travel,” according to Sem Panhavuth, manager of Road Crashes and
Victims Information Systems (RCVIS) of Handicap International Cambodia.
After last New Year, local media and government offices were filled
with reports on traffic accidents. The Phnom Penh Post and a report made
public by the Ministry of Interior stated that spanning the 13-17 of
April 2011, traffic accidents caused 58 fatalities and 484 injuries.
The Ministry of Interior’s report also cited an increase in traffic
accidents for the year 2011. While 33 per cent of crashes were a result
of speeding, 20 per cent were a result of drink diving and 26 per cent
resulted from traffic violations.
That made traffic accidents Cambodia’s biggest murderer in 2011, along with HIV/AIDS.
On March 29, 2011, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport
confirmed that that the government was losing roughly US$284 million per
year to road accidents – another wake-up call to the nation.
Formal statistics for the second half of 2011 will be released in
mid-April, according to Chhoung Voun, Head of Statistics and Road Safety
Division of the National Road Safety Committee. However, he said that
motorbikes are the most common vehicle involved in traffic accidents.
Sem Panhavuth confirmed that Handicap International Cambodia also
found that most accidents occurred with those riding motorbikes.
Meanwhile, he said, overcrowded taxis also play a large role in the
danger – and perhaps have a bigger impact – since such a high volume of
passengers are involved in the accident.
Sem Panhavuth explained that if young Cambodians band together to
address this growing problem, then the government can spend less on
traffic accidents and build up schools, health centres and other public
institutions instead.
He added that the trauma of a traffic accident is not worth the pain and heart-ache.
“If a family is affected by a traffic accident, that family will
definitely face many crises – physical, emotional and economic,” Sem
Panhavuth said.
For this week’s Constructive Cambodia, Kim Panha, Country Director of
Asia Injury Prevention, weighed in to recommend that young Cambodians
raise awareness to the issue.
“From my working experience, traffic accidents in our country are
mostly caused by youth,” he said. “So my advice to young Cambodians is
to respect traffic law, like road signs and the speed limit, while
travelling – and to especially avoid drink driving and racing.”
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