The National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) yesterday pledged to cut deaths on Cambodia’s roads by 50 per cent by 2020, with two new sub-commissions set to be established to help reach that goal.

The sub-commissions were first announced by NRSC director and Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Tuesday, with further details publicised yesterday.

The first sub-commission will focus on the implementation of a 10-year national action plan first established by the NRSC in 2011, while the second will focus on the implementation of Cambodia’s new Traffic Law.

“Road safety is a problem that affects all sectors of society, so it requires a solution in which many institutions must participate,” said National Police deputy chief Hem Yan, who will sit on both sub-commissions.

The national action plan originally set out to slash road deaths in half, but fatalities have continued to climb annually, with more than 2,200 recorded last year.

The new Traffic Law was passed in January but will not be implemented until early next year. Among its provisions are harsher penalties for traffic offences and increased safety requirements.