The RCVIS Annual Report 2009 reviews the main road crash trends in Cambodia compared to previous years. In 2009, 21,519 road crash casualties were reported resulting from 12,538 estimated crashes. 1,717 were fatalities (an average of 4.7 fatalities per day) and 7,022 were severely injured. 18,410 estimated vehicles were involved in those crashes. The number of fatalities increased by 4% compared to 2008. The report also shows that over the last 5 years, the number of fatalities has almost doubled while the number of registered motorized vehicles has increased by 142%. Although the fatality rate per 10,000 registered vehicles has decreased from 15.1 in 2008 to 12.3 in 2009, the fatality rate per 100,000 inhabitants has increased from 12.3 in 2008 to 12.7 in 2009.
The report clearly shows that the leading causes of road crashes, fatalities, and injuries (potentially leading to
disability) are related to speed-related and drunk driving, in combination with low helmet wearing rates,
particularly among passengers and children. Almost 70% of fatalities were due to speed-related and drunk driving behaviours. Additionally, more than 70% of motorbike fatalities had head injuries. We believe that road crashes are preventable, and with appropriate interventions fatalities and injuries leading to permanent disability in Cambodia can be reduced.
Attention to identifying the most vulnerable road users continues to be a serious concern for the Royal
Government of Cambodia and stakeholders. Based on the current report, the majority of fatalities were motorbike riders and pedestrians, representing more than 80% of road crash fatalities. The majority of motorbike fatalities in 2009 were young road users between 15 to 29 years old, while most pedestrians were children and elderly, who are most commonly injured in the afternoon and nighttime hours.
Utilizing a Global Positioning System (GPS) database, the report highlights the most dangerous locations for road users and pedestrians. Significantly, the report disaggregates data related to pedestrian/motorbike/vehicle crashes, age groups, and crashes related to speed-related, drunk driving, or other behaviour related risk factors.
The locations identified in the report as being at high risk for road users and pedestrians are primarily located
along the national Cambodian highways in Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, and Kandal Provinces.
Furthermore, based on the research study, conducted by Handicap International Belgium and the Institute of
Mobility – Hasselt University in Belgium, road crashes had an enormous impact on the social and economic
welfare of Cambodia in 2009. The study estimates the annual economic cost of road crashes in 2009 to equal approximately 248 million USD. This estimation represents an increase of 135 million USD compared to 2003.
This report details the key findings of road crashes and casualties, and provides recommendations on how these findings can be used to improve road safety in Cambodia.
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