AND PAUL VRIEZE
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
V42 Issue 54
01 June 2009
Starting today, police in Phnom Penh will start implementing a new helmet rule for motorbike passengers, following a recent municipal order, traffic police officials said
Sunday, although they added that their officers won't be able to fine helmet-less passengers. Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema announced the helmet requirement for motorbike passengers Tuesday, which comes a few months after police began the sporadic enforcement of a traffic law provision requiring motorbike drivers to wear helmets. EI Narin, deputy chief of the municipal traffic police, said his officers would enforce the governor's notice "strictly," but added police could not hand out fines because the existing traffic law does not require motorbike passengers to wear head protection. "If our police start fining passengers, they would have the right to complain, and they would put letters in complaint boxes at police
stations all over Phnom Penh," Mr Narin said. Instead, police would give stem warning to passengers without helmets, he said Meas Chandy, road safety project coordinator for Handicap International Belgium, said the measure was "a good development," as research had shown that both motorbike drivers and passengers are likely to suffer head injuries in accidents. Mr. Chandy said Handicap International had conducted a project several years ago in which 20 motorbike taxi drivers were each provided with a free crash helmet to provide for their passengers. The project, however,was not a success, as passengers found it unhygienic to share a helmet with other passengers and because taxi drivers found it cumbersome to carry around another helmet, he said Municipal traffic police chief Tin
Prasoer said the new rule required motorbike taxi drivers to carry helmets for their passengers "because they make money from them."
No comments:
Post a Comment