Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Drivers reminded to follow expressway safety rules

Drivers reminded to follow expressway safety rules

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Cars travelling on the expressway queue at a toll booth on March 18. Hong Menea

Drivers reminded to follow expressway safety rules

The transport ministry and the operator of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway have renewed calls for people to respect road traffic laws and follow safety norms while travelling on the high-speed road, as well as to properly inspect their vehicles before every trip.

This comes after a series of incidents on the expressway involving cars either breaking down or catching fire.

“Do not drive faster than the speed limit and properly check your vehicle’s condition before driving on the road,” the ministry said in a March 19 statement.

Notable violations include going over the speed limit, unsafe lane-changing and even wrong-way driving, the ministry said.

The call followed a meeting led by transport minister Sun Chanthol to review the progress of expressway work, with representatives of the operator in attendance.

Kim Pagna, country director for the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP), chalked up a sizeable portion of expressway violations to limited understanding of traffic laws and norms, as well as bad driving habits.

“To avoid possible accidents, the ministry and the company have to run all of this by people at toll booths before letting drivers use the expressway. The ministry should set up a mobile app that signals to drivers when approaching high-risk areas,” he said.

He suggested that they install more speed cameras, similar to those along National Road 3, and provide fast ambulance services in the event of an emergency.

They should also keep instructing locals not to cut the barbed wire fences to cross the expressway, Pagna opined.

According to the ministry, during the four months from November 2022 to February 2023, a total of 1,413,906 trips were made on the expressway, generating $11 million in revenue.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is