“Safety is priority”: a phrase we are constantly hearing, telling us to be careful for our safety. It is particularly relevant when talking about traffic. The traffic law is the main method for keeping order on the street - but can it also bring risks at night?
Sethy Monirith, a 22-year-old studying at the Institute of Foreign Languages’ Department of International Studies, said he has never dared stop at the red light at night.
He said: “The purpose of traffic lights is to help improve traffic safety, but there’s a risk that it’s dangerous at night, so I won’t stop.”
Monirith, who has lived in Phnom Penh since he was young, has had his own motorbike since he was 12 years old. After observing the city’s traffic at night, he doesn’t have faith in the traffic operating system. He believes that many people who drive cars, even with a licence, are not sufficiently skilled.
Monirith believes that reducing the number of traffic accidents would be difficult. But if every driver were to co-operate, he says, it might be easier. And if more people dared to travel at night, they might pay greater respect to the traffic lights. So how can we begin to resolve this issue?