At an annual awards ceremony, H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent honored Cambodia’s National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) for its robust enforcement of the country’s new road traffic law, including the mandatory use of motorcycle helmets for passengers, which has saved lives and prevented serious injuries. Two hundred and fifty-nine fewer road crash-related deaths and 596 fewer injuries occurred in the first 11 months of 2016 compared to the same period of time in 2015.

“Road crashes cause 1.25 million deaths around the world every year and low-income countries like Cambodia tend to suffer the most,” H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent said. “The NRSC’s work is a powerful example of positive changes, and has enhanced legislation, law enforcement, and cooperation between public sectors and civil society organizations which could lead to a new innovation. Collaboration as such is a reflection of reason I created these honors nearly 30 years ago.”

In 2015, road crashes caused 30 times more deaths than malaria, dengue fever, and landmines combined in Cambodia. The new legislation, for the first time requiring passengers and drivers to wear helmets while travelling, was adopted in 2015 and enforcement commenced in January 2016.

The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards was organized by RoadSafe, a London-based charitable partnership that brings together representatives from the private sector, government, and road safety community to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries around the globe.

View more photos from the event here.

Read the full press release here.