Initiative: Phnom Penh launches a new project to improve road safety

To reduce accidents linked to drink-driving, Phnom Penh City Hall is launching a new project called “Reducing driving under influence”.

According to the municipality, this initiative reflects the city's commitment to improving road safety as part of the Partnership for Healthy Cities, an international network of 74 cities committed to saving lives by preventing the causes of accidents, as well as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The Partnership for Healthy Cities reaches around 320 million city dwellers with proven strategies.

The project will focus on strengthening local enforcement of national drink-drive laws by increasing police checkpoints in high-risk locations, based on city data and advice from the national drink-drive plan. Enforcement officers will also receive training in a number of key areas, including the use of breathalysers, setting up safe and effective checkpoints and training first responders.

A communication campaign to remind drivers of the risks of drink-driving and the presence of enforcement officers will be launched in parallel to support these efforts.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 1.19 million people die every year worldwide as a result of road accidents. Drink-driving significantly increases the likelihood of being involved in an accident, and is a risk factor in 27% of all road accidents worldwide.

The new project is in line with calls made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in January 2024 to step up the fight against drink-driving, the leading cause of death and injury on the country's roads.

The Royal Government of Cambodia has also expressed its determination to meet the global target of reducing road deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030, as set out in the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

“According to Cambodia Road Safety 2021-2030, there are an average of seven accidents and five deaths every day.”

This week, the city hosted the project's inaugural workshop. The event, chaired by the Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh Capital Hall, His Excellency Imran Hassan, was attended by 160 participants working in the fields of labour and public transport, health and law enforcement. During the event, the Vice-Governor handed over to the local authorities ten breathalysers and other equipment (portable lights, traffic control equipment) acquired under the project.

At the workshop, the Vice-Governor thanked the Partnership for Healthy Cities for its ongoing support to Phnom Penh and looked forward to continued collaboration between Phnom Penh and the network.

Phnom Penh has been working with the Partnership for Healthy Cities since 2017 on projects to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks and promote healthier eating environments to help tackle NCDs.

About the Partnership

The Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of 74 cities committed to saving lives by preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with WHO and the global health organisation Vital Strategies, the initiative enables cities around the world to implement a high-impact policy or programme to reduce NCDs and trauma in their communities. For more information: https://cities4health.org