THE STRAITS TIMES
Dec 27, 2008
PHNOM PENH - A BELGIAN man has died in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh after driving under the influence of alcohol without a helmet and crashing into a truck, police said on Saturday.
Van Esbroeck Guido's 44-year-old Cambodian wife told police on Thursday she had earlier refused to ride pillion on her husband's bike when he fell off after drinking.
Police said the 48-year-old Belgian continued driving alone and later crashed into a truck as it left a construction site.
'He was very drunk while driving, didn't have on a helmet and later crashed into a truck that didn't give a signal when it turned,' said traffic police chief Tin Prasoeur.
'This year, the traffic accidents are still high...Our traffic police will start to implement the new traffic law by fining those drivers who don't wear helmets,' he added.
Deaths on the roads have more than doubled in the past five years, becoming Cambodia's second biggest killer behind HIV/Aids and resulting in mounting costs for the government.
In a bid to put an end to the carnage the government has pushed through drastic new traffic laws, previously unheard of in Cambodia's free-wheeling road culture.
From Jan 1, drivers' licences will be mandatory, as will helmets for those on motorbikes and seatbelts for motorists. -- AFP
Dec 27, 2008
PHNOM PENH - A BELGIAN man has died in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh after driving under the influence of alcohol without a helmet and crashing into a truck, police said on Saturday.
Van Esbroeck Guido's 44-year-old Cambodian wife told police on Thursday she had earlier refused to ride pillion on her husband's bike when he fell off after drinking.
Police said the 48-year-old Belgian continued driving alone and later crashed into a truck as it left a construction site.
'He was very drunk while driving, didn't have on a helmet and later crashed into a truck that didn't give a signal when it turned,' said traffic police chief Tin Prasoeur.
'This year, the traffic accidents are still high...Our traffic police will start to implement the new traffic law by fining those drivers who don't wear helmets,' he added.
Deaths on the roads have more than doubled in the past five years, becoming Cambodia's second biggest killer behind HIV/Aids and resulting in mounting costs for the government.
In a bid to put an end to the carnage the government has pushed through drastic new traffic laws, previously unheard of in Cambodia's free-wheeling road culture.
From Jan 1, drivers' licences will be mandatory, as will helmets for those on motorbikes and seatbelts for motorists. -- AFP
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