PHNOM PENH: A total of 1,981 people, 1,651 males and 330 females, were killed in road accidents in the country last year.
Police said another 3,919 suffered serious injuries, while 2,222 escaped with light injuries.
Last year’s figures marked an increase in the number of accidents compared with 3,267 in 2018, resulting in 1,761 deaths.
The Phnom Penh Post said speeding remained the main cause of the high accident rate in the country.
Last month, Traffic Police and Public Order Department Road Traffic Bureau chief Mann Sophanna said there were 364 traffic accidents, causing 182 deaths and 49 injuries.
Of the 364 accidents, 46 per cent was caused by speeding, overtaking without consideration for road conditions (11 per cent), not keeping to right of way (10 per cent), making turns under dangerous conditions (seven per cent), drunk driving (four per cent) and faulty vehicles (two per cent).
Sophanna said to reduce traffic accidents caused by speeding, motorists had to respect traffic signs and road markings.
He said that while traffic police were deployed to stop drivers from speeding, motorists must also cooperate.
“There is no lack of officials to enforce the speed limit and it is done every day in the capital and provinces. But motorists are not law-abiding and don’t bother to learn traffic laws.
“We do whatever we can to disseminate the law and educate motorists, but they have to do their part too,” Sophanna said.
Institute for Road Safety acting director Kong Ratanak encouraged authorities to conduct an in-depth study on the causes that motivate drivers to exceed the speed limit.
He said speeding was common among those who drove under the influence of alcohol.
However, he said, speeding became a problem in the kingdom due to poor law enforcement. National roads, he said, did not have cameras installed to capture speeding drivers.
“On National Road 6A, we see motorists speeding. Traffic police do not enforce the law consistently. Police officers also take bribes when they catch motorists committing offences.”