Cambodia is enacting a new traffic law that will include punishments for drink-driving and driving under the influence of drugs.The law will replace the existing Cambodian Land Traffic Law that governs all road users in the Kingdom. The draft of the new law has been sent to the National Road Safety Committee for scrutiny before it is forwarded to the Council of Ministers and eventually the National Assembly and the Senate to be adopted. The new land traffic law is expected to be enacted in March or April next year. Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, who is also the Chairman of the National Committee for Road Traffic Safety, said yesterday that he chaired a meeting to approve the draft law on road traffic at the Ministry of Interior that was attended by Public Works and Transport Minister of Sun Chanthol. Kheng said that the draft law on road traffic was more comprehensive than the existing road traffic law. “I hope the draft law will be sent to the Council of Ministers by the end of this year for the Cabinet’s approval. He also expressed hope that the draft law will be passed by the National Assembly in March or April.Kheng said amendments were made to 48 of the 92 articles in the current Cambodian Land Traffic Law The new road traffic law, he said, will require drivers of all types of vehicles to be tested for drugs with focus on truck drivers. “Drink driving is also made a punishable offence,” he said. The drug test, he added, for drivers of all types of vehicles is to prevent and curb the use and trafficking of drugs, as well as to reduce the rate of traffic accidents. “Road accidents and drug abuse are a major concern in Cambodia.“With the new road traffic law, a driver can be fined or have his licence revoked if the driver is found to have used drugs and when the driver stops using drugs the authorities will return the driver’s license to the driver,” he said. Kheng said the new law has also taken into account the modernisation of road infrastructure s in the Kingdom. “We want to increase efficiency, reduce deaths and injuries from traffic accidents, and prevent drug-related driving,” he said. Kong Ratanak, the director of the Institute for Road Safety, said he fully supports the new law because it will reduce the number of deaths and injuries. “Many traffic accidents are caused by drunk drivers or under the influence of alcohol. “The new traffic law must be strictly enforced by traffic police and motorists must abide with the provisions of the new law, otherwise deaths and injuries from road accidents will continue. “It is good that the Ministry of Interior is introducing a new road traffic law and once it becomes law, I hope police officials will implement the law with strong action and without exception to drivers who violate the traffic law,” he said. Heng Kimhong, head of the Research and Advocacy Programme of the Cambodian Youth Network Association, said the new traffic law is timely as Cambodia’s road infrastructure has been modernised with an expressway and national roads widen and turned into dual carriageways. “I have seen police officers, when they check or implement the traffic law, they always announced in advance and if they continue to do this, the people will know and be prepared,” he said.