BUT SA CASUALTIES ARE CLOSE TO TEN TIMES HIGHER

July 27, 2009
By Kounila Keo

Cambodian student Chhin Sothea found out the hard way that it's not enough just to take care when crossing the street in Phnom Penh - a motorcycle hit him from behind as he strolled down the pavement.

He said: "Now I keep an eye on street traffic all the time and when I get on a fast motorbike, my stomach turns."

Stories like Chhin's are common in Cambodia, a rapidly developing country where traffic deaths have more than doubled over the past five years, becoming the second-biggest killer after Aids.

Sem Panhavuth from Handicap International said: "The construction of smoother roads, an ever-increasing number of cars and motorbikes, and bold but often uneducated drivers will become a deadly mix in years to come."

A report by his organisation, which monitors Cambodian road safety, said the country had about 4.5 fatalities per day in 2008 and the number spiked to five a day in the first two months of 2009. By contrast, 15 353 people were killed on South Africa's roads in 2006, according to a SA Road Traffic management report - that's 42 every day.

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has implored drivers in recent speeches to take more care and the government is making greater efforts to bring order to chaotic roads. The capital Phnom Penh got its first five speed traps detectors in March 2009 and traffic police are now frequently seen out in force, cracking down on motorcyclists who ride without helmets or rear-view mirrors.

Traffic police chief Tin Prasoeur says the compulsory helmet and mirror laws have helped reduce injuries.

He said: "Most of the fatal crashes are caused by youngsters who race each other through the streets. We're trying to draw attention to the dangers of not following the law or respecting their own safety."

However, few are optimistic that Cambodia's surging traffic accident toll will soon fall. Pheng Saly has been a driving instructor for nearly two decades and is seeing an increase in clients every month.

He said: "I've seen some improvement on the streets and, little by little, we hope to see a new attitude in Cambodia. But the issue is that people don't respect the traffic laws. Many don't even bother to learn the rules."

However, Phee Khorn, a motorcycle taxi driver in Phnom Penh for the past five years, said the new road rules weren't working and the problem lay with lax law enforcement.

"We see traffic police on the streets daily," he said. "They often play cat-and-mouse games by stopping bikes or cars all of a sudden, sometimes for no apparent reason.

NO RESPECT

"When police fine us for not having a helmet or rear-view mirrors, they just take money and let us go."

For his part, traffic cop San Sophorng said he was learning how little respect his occupation got as he tried to bring order to dangerous streets.

He said: "When I stop people without helmets or rear-view mirrors, I always tell them their mistakes and, you know, fine them," adding that was allowed to keep 20 percent of the money.

As he watched drivers weave, honk and jockey for position around one of Phnom Penh's bulging markets, San Sophorng said accidents were increasing because drivers didn't care about the rules.

"A lot of people don't obey the traffic laws and I can't control them all," he said, taking a short break in the shade with a few other blue uniformed policemen. "I'm getting more despondent every day." - AFP