An officer conducts a training class on road safety.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) collaboration has taken a different dimension in Cambodia. While the model is commonly adopted to build high-investment highways and transport networks in many countries, road safety has now become another central element in the multisectoral partnership.
Authorities are now engaging the private sector to improve road safety as accidents cause severe economic and productivity costs to the country.
An exemplary cooperation was seen in Sihanoukville province where a two-day technical training course was organised by the Traffic Police and Public Order Department of the General Police Commissariat of National in cooperation with the Asia Pacific International Wines and Spirits Alliance and Pernod Ricard Cambodge.
It was part of the 2019 “Drinkafe4KH” campaign to prevent drink driving and promote road safety in Cambodia where accident rates are reaching a worrying level. The training was held on October 21-22 at the Sihanouk Provincial Hall. Pernod Ricard Cambodge Co Ltd. is an international wines and spirits importer and distributor in Cambodia.
The rise in road mishaps continue to worry authorities.
The training session touched on key areas:
• increase knowledge of road traffic situation and risks behaviour as well as driving effects under the influence of alcohol
• Operational planning and measures for handling all driving restrictions for those against the road traffic law as well as tactical approaches to reduce the traffic congestion
• Strengthening skills on setting effective and safety checkpoint and operating “Alcolizer” units effectively, qualitatively, and safely
• Enhance capacity on solving problem, managing and ensuring safety at enforcement checkpoints as well as observing, recording, collecting evidence and reporting
• Provide traffic police with key knowledge and skill sets on first responders in order to rescue the road crash victims before transferring them to the hospital by health workers
• And, increase the capacity for continuing education, along with the ability to educate all road users to compliance with traffic laws.
Traffic policemen attend a training session in Sihanoukville province.
Colonel Thi Visal, deputy director of Traffic Police and Public Order of the General Commissariat of National Police, said that according to the traffic police report in 2018 there were 3,267 road accidents and in the third quarter this year, there were 988 cases leading to 488 fatalities.
The most common accidents were due to over speeding (33 per cent ) and about four per cent were due to drink driving.
Some 100 traffic police personnel attended the training sessions.
