New traffic law in Cambodia given Senate and Royal endorsement

Follow up story to article published December 8

In continued reporting on efforts to assist with the passage of the new Land Traffic Law which aims to improve the safety on Cambodia’s notoriously dangerous roads, following the December approval of the final chapters of the law by the National Assembly, two further important and final steps have been taken: Senate approval and endorsement by the Royal King.

These final steps which took place on 30 December 2014 and 9 January 2015 respectively, clear the path for implementation and enforcement of the new laws. The new traffic law contains 12 chapters with 92 articles which address key risk factors of drinking and driving, over speeding and lack of helmet use, as well as tightening laws relating to licencing, vehicle registration and condition, and truck and bus driver regulations. The law also defines extended police powers to enforce the traffic laws together with increases in fines.

The passage of this law is an important step forward in road safety on a national scale in Cambodia and is reward for hard work by a number of organizations who have contributed to the draft law. The Global Road Safety Partnership’s own contribution to these laws, working in close collaboration with the Cambodian Red Cross and the World Health Organization (WHO) is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Programme.