PHNOM PENH, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of road fatalities in Cambodia declined to 1,509 people in 2024, a drop of 5 percent from 1,590 in the year before, a spokesperson said on Thursday.
Phan Rim, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the road accidents injured 3,720 others last year, down 17.6 percent from 4,515 a year earlier.
The Southeast Asian country recorded 2,844 cases of road crashes in 2024, also down 14 percent from 3,317 cases in 2023, he added.
"The main causes of road accidents included speeding, failing to adhere to traffic rules, not respecting the right of way, careless turning, reckless overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol, and drowsy driving, among others," Phan Rim told Xinhua.
Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of deaths and injuries in Cambodia, costing the country about 466 million U.S. dollars a year, according to a report jointly conducted by the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia and the National Road Safety Committee. ■
