From May 1-26, traffic police inspected 150,540 vehicles nationwide, of which 8,626 including 5,703 motorcycles had broken the law, according to a National Police report on May 27.

On May 26 alone, police had set up roadblocks at 110 targets and found 5,521 offending vehicles including 3,226 motorbikes.

Deputy National Police chief Him Yan said that despite the Covid-19 crisis, police continued to enforce the traffic law.

“Despite the recent lockdown, deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents are still occurring every day, especially during the days when traffic reopened with an average of between six and eight people killed,” he said.

He added that some violators had already paid the fine, while others have not because the places where they live were locked down.

Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation director Kim Panha welcomed the traffic police’s commitment to continue law enforcement across the country, especially in less restricted zones such as Kandal.

He added that tightening road traffic laws must continue on a regular basis. As revealed during the reopening of traffic, the number of accidents increased significantly, unlike during the lockdown of Phnom Penh, Kandal’s Takhmao town and other areas.

“In addition to tightening the traffic law, I called on the authorities to increase public awareness.

“We see Covid-19 measures were widely disseminated both on television and by telephone. If we increase awareness of the traffic law, the number of traffic accidents will decrease.”