Cause of Traffic Accidents In Cambodia

In Cambodia, economic growth and urbanization have prompted people to migrate to the crowded capital, where a surfeit of automobiles, lax enforcement of traffic laws, and scant understanding of road safety take their toll. On average, 4. 7 people die in accidents each day. Traffic accidents tend to affect vulnerable Cambodians, many of whom are poor. About 90 percent of crash victims ride vehicles motorbikes and bicycles, or are pedestrians, according to the report.Last year, road accidents cost Cambodia $248 million, according to a study by Handicap International Belgium and Hasselt University in Belgium, against $116 million in 2003.Getting into a traffic accident anywhere is serious, but in Cambodia it’s particularly so. In the evenings, many drivers are distracted, intoxicated and not particularly swayed by the few stoplights the town has to offer. The only traffic laws that are regularly enforced are ones that involve small fines for improper licenses or lack of rear-view mirrors, rather than more serious moving violations like speeding or drunk driving.In the report, it is usually related to speed, drunk driving, dangerous overtaking, not respect right of way, change direction without due care, driving against flow of traffic, driving without helmet, and others.Second, there is a problem with the road environment which is responsible for 2% of the causes such as potholes, dirt/sand/gravel, animal on the road, and dust and objects on the road. Another cause is vehicle defects that either come from using vehicle improperly or the vehicles its own.This may include break failure, tire blow out, steering wheel failure, load off failure, and headlight failure. The last cause is about the weather conditions which contribute the least rate of the rest causalities. In weather conditions, the riders may have accidents when it is raining and wet road. Many theories have raised and posted in social media such as “Together reduce Traffic Accidents”, “Love your Life, Drive Safe”, “Today, Tomorrow, no Traffic Accident (PM Speech)”…etc.Solutions to the traffic accident in Cambodia must be mainly focused on the human problem. It is recommended that the driving speed must be limited, the law must be reinforced, and awareness of the causes and helmet wearing must be promoted. Also, checkpoints must be set for the drunk driving especially during the weekend. Besides, other causes can be solved by improving the road safety management such as widen the road size, put the traffic lights and signs, and so on. When we can implement these solutions effectively, the number of road coalition deaths will decrease.