Three garment workers were killed by an overtaking pickup truck on National Road 41 in Kampong Speu province on Wednesday. POLICE
Three garment workers were killed after the motorcycles they were riding on were hit by an overtaking pickup truck on National Road 41 in Kampong Speu province on Wednesday, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said.
A truck carrying 28 garment workers was also involved in the crash, which happened at around 6:25pm.
The driver was taken to Phnom Penh’s Kossamak Referral Hospital with a broken leg, Kampong Speu provincial Department of Labour and Vocational Training director Chek Borin told The Post on Thursday.
Six garment workers in the back of the truck were treated at hospitals in Kampong Speu province for minor injuries after the accident in Samrong Tong district.
Authorities have mounted a hunt for the driver of the pickup truck who fled the scene.
Kampong Speu provincial governor Vy Samnang said the driver of the pickup was overtaking other vehicles when it hit the two motorcycles while on the wrong side of the road. It then crashed into the truck carrying the garment workers.
Kong Ratanak, the deputy director of the Institute for Road Safety, said careless and reckless driving and drink driving were responsible for the majority of traffic accidents.
Drivers getting behind the wheel without receiving proper training was also a major contributing factor, he said.
Ratanak said as it was difficult to change people’s attitudes and behaviour in a short time, a greater police presence was needed on the Kingdom’s roads.
The relevant ministries should also ensure higher standards of driving instruction and make the driving test more difficult, he said.
The president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, Pav Sina, said: “Traffic accidents remain a concern, and more needs to be done to reduce them. More traffic police are needed on roads where garment factories are located.”
Samnang, the Kampong Speu provincial governor, said while traffic police were regularly deployed to deter speeding and reckless overtaking, provincial authorities did not have enough personnel to monitor every road.
Wednesday’s accident occurred on a stretch of road where no police were deployed, he said.
