June 17, 2026
PHNOM PENH – The first five months of the year saw an increase in traffic fatalities on the Kingdom’s roads, prompting fresh concerns that years of education and enforcement campaigns have not broken through to the public.
Minister of Interior Sar Sokha has called for civil servants to serve as “core actors” in promoting respect for traffic laws and demonstrating responsible behaviour on the roads.
While addressing the June 15 opening of this year’s National Road Safety Week, he noted that road accidents continue to occur daily across the country with little sign of a significant decline.
This year’s event, held in Kampot province, was attended by around 1,000 government officials, along with representatives of partner organisations and members of the public, including students.
While detailed national figures were not disclosed, Sokha warned that Jan-May accident statistics increased from the same period last year. He described the persistent rise in crashes as “one of Cambodia’s most pressing public safety challenges”.
“Road accidents not only cause deaths and serious injuries, but also leave severe consequences for families, communities and the national economy,” he said.
As chair of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), he urged all road users, transport companies and other stakeholders to strengthen compliance with traffic regulations and adopt safer driving habits.
He also reiterated a long-standing appeal by Senate president Hun Sen, who called on Cambodians to strive for days free of traffic accidents and avoid behaviours that place lives at risk.
The minister outlined several key recommendations for road users, including driving only when properly trained, respecting speed limits, avoiding alcohol and drugs while driving, not driving while fatigued, obeying traffic signs and signals, wearing helmets and seat belts, maintaining vehicles and practising patience and courtesy on the roads.
His recommendations reflect the main causes behind the country’s traffic accidents.
The reported causes
According to the NRSC, speeding accounted for 46 per cent of crashes recorded during the first five months of 2026, making it by far the leading cause of accidents.
Failure to respect right-of-way rules contributed 22 per cent, while driving on the wrong side of the road accounted for 12 per cent.
Other causes included dangerous overtaking, improper turning, traffic signal violations and vehicle defects.
Driving while fatigued and driving under the influence were reportedly among the least common causes of accidents, it claimed.
The reported figures highlight the continuing dominance of human behaviour as the primary factor behind road crashes in Cambodia, a trend that road safety experts have repeatedly identified as a major obstacle to reducing fatalities.
The true cost of accidents
According to the Asian Transport Observatory’s Cambodia Road Safety Profile 2025, road crashes continue to impose a heavy burden on the country, with fatalities estimated at around 18.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
The report also estimated that road crashes cost Cambodia roughly $1 billion annually, equivalent to around 5 per cent of GDP.
The economic consequences extend well beyond emergency medical treatment.
Families often lose income earners, survivors can face long-term disabilities and communities bear the costs associated with healthcare, rehabilitation and lost productivity.
International organisations have also warned about the impact on younger road users.
A recent UNICEF policy brief noted that road traffic injuries account for around 20 per cent of fatalities involving children and adolescents in Cambodia, with nearly 300 young people losing their lives each year.
Recent incidents have underscored the continuing risks faced by road users.
In April, 17 people were killed in road accidents during the three-day Khmer New Year holiday, with speeding and failure to comply with traffic regulations cited as the primary causes.
Last month, two separate crashes involving vehicles transporting garment workers left at least 14 dead and dozens injured, renewing calls for stronger enforcement and safer transport standards.
Minister demands individual responsibility
Sokha has repeatedly warned that Cambodia’s ambition of significantly reducing road fatalities by 2030 will be difficult to achieve without stronger compliance with traffic laws and broader public participation.
Previous assessments have identified weak law enforcement, dangerous driving habits and road safety awareness gaps as key challenges facing the country’s road safety strategy.
For Sokha, the solution begins with individual responsibility.
By calling on civil servants to lead by example, the minister argued that changing road user behaviour requires more than enforcement alone.
It also requires those entrusted with public service to demonstrate compliance themselves and help build a culture where respect for traffic laws becomes the norm rather than the exception.
With speeding still responsible for nearly half of all accidents and fatalities continuing to occur on a daily basis, the challenge remains as urgent as ever.
As Cambodia marks its 17th National Road Safety Week, authorities hope renewed public awareness efforts will help reduce the country’s persistent toll of road deaths and injuries.