Road traffic accidents in Cambodia is critical. According to “Road Safety Cambodia", every day, out of 14-million population almost 4 persons die and more than 100 are injured on the roads of Cambodia. Over the last 5 years, the number of accidents increased by 50% and the number of fatalities has double. In July 2007 alone: * A provisional number of 1,538 casualties were reported by the participating hospitals, health centers, private clinics and traffic police departments in the 24 reporting provinces. Among them, 460 were severely injured and 92 died. * In Phnom Penh, 491 casualties were reported, corresponding to a 39% increase compared to July 2006 and a 20% increase compared to the previous month. * Only 48% of car/truck/bus drivers have a valid driving license at the time of the accident. * 3% of casualties are wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. * 44% of motorbikes' riders were suffering from head injury. * 79% of casualties suffering from a cranial trauma are indeed motorbike users, followed by pedestrians and bicycle users. On September 1, 2007, an implementation of the new

In September 2007, the road traffic law for the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia came into force. The General National Police Commissariat of the Department of Order in the Ministry of Interior (MoI) is responsible for national implementation of the traffic law, with each province/municipality able to determine their own enforcement priorities. In 2008, the Department of Order has issued comprehensive procedures for enforcement of the traffic law articles covering the type of regulations needed to be followed, training requirements, legal documentation, type of specific enforcement actions and penalties as well as accident-scene and checkpoint management. A sample of enforcement actions and police responsibilities included in the document are: Driver behavior: helmet wearing, speeding, drink-driving, running red lights, seatbelts, overloading, etc.. Vehicles: correct registration and number plates, technical inspection, four/two wheel driving licenses Order on roads: traffic flow management, inspecting road furniture and traffic lights, overseeing lane infringements at intersections Road accidents: accident scene management and investigation

Public Education and Awareness are key activities in prevention of road accidents and casualties. Informing and educating road users can improve knowledge about the rules of the road and about safe driving behavior. Campaigns can also help to reduce dangers of risky behavior and attitudes by highlighting the causes and trends of road accidents and casualties. The goal is to promote behavior change among all road users in an effort to improve road safety. However, education should not work in isolation and must be complemented with other measures in enforcement, road engineering and emergency response. In Cambodia, the National Road Safety Committee is working with a variety of partners to raise awareness on the issue of road safety. The strategy involves focusing on specific messages targeting risky behavior. The National Road Safety Committee has approved four main messages for road safety in Cambodia: Helmet Wearing Speeding Drink-Driving Overloading Organizations interested in conducting awareness campaigns in road safety are encouraged to focus on the above four messages. Organizations are also encouraged to conduct awareness and education during key times of the year, particularly around national holidays, including Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben and Water Festival, which are characterized by sharp increasing of road accidents. The National Road Safety Committee also encourages interested organizations to conduct road safety activities during two important events, both sanctioned by the United Nations