Development and Implementation of a Program for Transforming Traffic Safety Behavior in Cambodia
Background and Objectives
Many Asian countries experience rapid motorization alongside economic growth, and Cambodia, a developing country, is no exception. With that, however, many detrimental transportation issues have arisen. Particularly in Cambodia, the number of traffic accidents has been increasing as the main road (National Highway 5) has been upgraded and made subject to higher standards. The Cambodian government’s action plan has proposed traffic safety education and behavior change programs as a countermeasure, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has launched a traffic safety technical cooperation project. The development and implementation of behavior transformation programs requires cross-sectoral collaboration, particularly by people and organizations with strong leadership skills who can locally lead the collaboration.
Therefore, under a collaboration between the Cambodia IATSS Alumni Association (CIAA) and JICA, we will establish a behavior transformation program team at IATSS that will contribute to reducing traffic accidents by developing programs and implementing community-based workshops in local pilot areas (factories, schools, etc.).
Expected Results
The specific outcome of this research will be a medium-term reduction in the number of traffic accidents through the development and social implementation of a behavior transformation program for traffic safety. Through collaboration with the CIAA, the Cambodian government (Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports), and JICA, we expect this behavior change program to be tailored to the actual situation in Cambodia. After developing the program, we will collaborate with CIAA and JICA to hold workshops and cross-sectoral dialogues in local communities, which we expect to improve traffic safety awareness, promote behavioral transformation, and contribute to reducing the number of traffic accidents.
No development of such a behavior transformation program for traffic safety has been fully implemented in the South/Southeast Asia region, so this study will be a pioneering effort. After conducting this research, therefore, we expect similar programs to be developed and socially implemented throughout South and Southeast Asia in cooperation with IATSS Forum Alumni Associations in other countries.
This research can also be positioned as an effort toward materializing collaborations with JICA, with which IATSS has been deepening its relationship in recent years. We hope such collaborations will lead to more active international cooperation with JICA, as well as with other governments and international organizations.