PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Interior has requested his subordinates to study the law on traffic accidents involving minors, to change it so that perpetrators must continue to support minor victims until they turn 18 years old.

This proposal was made by the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the National Committee for Road Traffic Safety (NCRC), DPM Sar Kheng, during the ceremony to summarize the results of road traffic safety work in 2022 and to set the work direction for 2023, on Monday morning, 30 January 2023, at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

"I look at the news in the United States, drivers who cause accidents and suffering for minors must be held responsible for supporting [the victim] until the age of 18, so [I request] for this case to be researched, as it also acts as a punishment and warning to drivers to be very careful," said DPM Sar Kheng.

According to the Minister of Interior, reviewing the road traffic accident report of 2022 shows both positive and negative points and a need to experiment and find solutions in a timely manner to improve and increase the efficiency of road traffic safety in 2023.

He also called on transport companies not to allow overweight vehicles on the road, as this causes damage to road infrastructures and can also cause traffic accidents.

According to the report of the National Road Safety Committee, there were 2,976 road accidents recorded in 2022, which resulted in 1,709 deaths and 4,026 injuries (including 2,579 serious injuries).