Improving road safety for citizens and tourists in Cambodia
By Sovann Kong
For the Siem Reap Provinical Government in Cambodia, the end of 2011 foreshadowed a positive start to the New Year in terms of road safety. Together with the Global Road Safety Partnership, on 1 December, local government officials signed a memorandum of understanding to pilot the internationally renowned, Proactive Partnership Strategy (PPS).
The Proactive Partnership Strategy is based upon psychological research in industries that have needed to create highly safe cultures. The Global Road Safety Partnership realised the potential to transfer this knowledge from industry to the city environment. Over the years, it has been successfully implemented, winning international recognition and awarded for its innovative approachesthat have significantly reduced road crashes, injuries and fatalities in cities in Brazil.
The Global Road Safety Partnership is now internationalizing the strategy, and piloting PPS in other regions including Africa and Asia. The aim now in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is to work with partners to create a culture of road safety for both citizens and tourists.
The pilot project will consist of a combination of enforcement, education, engineering and emergency response, as well as increasing safe-driving behaviours of fleets that transport tourists and residents around the city and the Angkor Temples.
After hosting the annual GRSP Asia Road Safety Seminar in 2010, the memorandum of understanding reflects a solid commitment of the Siem Reap Provincial Government, the local private sector and civil society to address road safety.
Siem Reap was chosen as a pilot site due to the existing National and Provincial Road Safety Committees, a strong national road crash data system enabling analysis of the crash statistics for Siem Reap, a tourist industry that values safety for tourists, and a hotel industry that has a strong influence over a significant portion of the working population and transport companies.
For additional details please contact Sovann Kong, Global Road Safety Partnership Country Programme Manager, Cambodia at sovann.kong@ifrc.org
