Cambodia launches campaign to reduce road accidents

Aiming to reduce casualties from car crashes, Cambodia has launched a year-long safe driving education campaign, Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said on Tuesday.

The Transport Ministry, in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific International Wine and Spirit Alliance (APIWSA), will during the next year produce three TV promotions which will be aired on local television channels, the Minister 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," he said.

"Five Cambodians die and 15 are injured in road crashes every day," he said.

"It is vital that all of us work together to educate the people in order to reduce 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 this year, leaving 1,576 people dead and 5,962 injured.

Chanthol said the accidents cost the country about $300 million per year.

--IANS

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