Cambodia Launches Year-long Campaign to Reduce Road Accidents

PHNOM PENH— Cambodia launched a year-long safe driving education campaign in 2017 on Tuesday with an aim of reducing causalities from car crashes, Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said.

Under the cooperation between the Transport Ministry and the Asia Pacific International Wine and Spirit Alliance (APIWSA), three TV promotions would be produced throughout 2017 and aired on local television channels, he said.

“There are too many road fatalities in Cambodia largely due to a lack of educating the public and we need to cooperate with all stakeholders in media, entertainment industry, private sector and development partners to reduce the number of casualties in Cambodia,” the minister said.

“Five Cambodians die and 15 others injure in road crashes every day,” he said. “It is vital that all of us work together to educate the people in order to reduce road accidents.”

Car crashes are a leading cause of death in the Southeast Asian country. According to government figures, some 3,338 road accidents happened in the first 11 months of 2016, leaving 1,576 people dead and 5,962 others injured.

Chanthol said the accidents cost the country about 300 million U.S. dollars per year.

Besides TV promotions, there would also be a driver safety awareness campaign, utilizing Tuk-Tuk signage, high-school programs with theater performances, posters in restaurants and entertainment outlets, print advertisements, billboards and social media campaign, said APIWSA’s director Cyril Sayag.