Today, AIP Foundation convened a forum between youth road safety ambassadors from the Safety Delivered program, local youth groups, and government and non-government stakeholders to discuss the issue of distracted driving and mobile phone use while driving in Cambodia. The convening also served as an opportunity for the youth ambassadors to present a Distracted Driving Joint Statement to three distinguished representatives from the National Road Safety Committee, the Cambodian National Police, and the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. The statement calls for action from government bodies and the broader community to implement effective measures that will reduce road crash deaths and injuries due to mobile phone distraction. Safety Delivered, which is supported by The UPS Foundation, works with young, inexperienced motorcycle drivers to improve their distracted driving behaviors while also working to increase child helmet use.

The event included panel discussions and interviews focused on how best to implement a workable action plan to address distracted driving. Themes of education and awareness, partnership and collaboration, and enforcement measures were among those discussed. The dialogue emphasized community engagement and collaboration with law enforcement as a proven pathway towards reducing the number of young lives lost due to distracted driving behaviors. Traffic police who participated discussed how enforcement best practices could be incorporated into the action plan and applied across Cambodia.

Read the full press release here.

View more photos from the forum here.