Calamitous Cambodian Commuting

Crammed into dodgy truck these garment workers
 are especially vulnerable to  traffic accidents.

The last five year period saw the number of crashes on Cambodian roads increase by 217%. Fatalities have almost doubled.

Little wonder when you consider:

~ A mere 6% of the over 12,000  trucks inspected for safety (a rudimentary check at best, one would think) passed the test.

~ It's estimated that more than 70% of drivers who hold car licenses only do so because they purchased     them illegally.

~ A 2012 study of drivers in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Sihanoukville found that less than 30% understood traffic signs or speed limits.

~Government figures show that more than 80% of motorcyclists do not hold a valid licence.

~A police presence is almost non-existent when it is needed most; at night when the scumbags who cause most of the fatalities- drunken drivers- are about.

540 people were killed on Cambodian roads between November 10, 2012 and February 10, 2013.

Helmets still to catch on

Just one-in-four Cambodian motorcycle drivers wear a helmet when driving at night.

Just under 50% of drivers protect themselves with a helmet during the day.

International researchers found that motorcycle passengers were ten times less likely to wear a helmet than drivers.

And whilst Cambodian policeman will be happy to line their pockets by fining  drivers who fail to wear a helmet 3,000 riel (less than $1), such a punishment doesn't appear to be coercing Cambodian motorcycles into take this simple precaution; the World Health Organisation estimates that deaths on Cambodian roads have increased by more than 40% in the last 5 years.