Abstract
Introduction
Cambodia has made remarkable economic progress over the past two decades. A rapid rise in vehicle ownership and road traffic crashes accompanies this advancement. This study investigated the social determinants of road crashes, including increasing vehicle ownership in Cambodia.
Methods
This is a retrospective analysis of household data from three rounds (2005, 2010, and 2014) of the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative survey. We estimated the independent associations between household vehicle ownership (bicycles, motorcycles, and cars or trucks) and the reporting of injury or death from road crashes by any household member. Multivariable logistic regression analysis evaluated the adjusted associations between reporting road crashes and vehicle ownership while controlling for other household and environmental factors.
Results
A combined total of 45,513 households were surveyed within the study period (2005 to 2014). The proportion of households reporting road crash-related injury or death increased from 3.9% in 2005 to 5.5% in 2014 [p<0.0001]. Among different types of vehicles, households that own motorcycles were 72% [AOR: 1.72 95% CI (1.55 - 1.92)] more likely to report having a victim of a road crash after adjusting for the location of the household, wealth index, education level, and gender of the head of the household.
Conclusion
An increasing motorized vehicle ownership appears to drive Cambodia's worsening road safety. The threat of deteriorating road safety is worse in countries experiencing rapid economic development, while improvement to physical infrastructure and regulatory frameworks is lagging. As Cambodia continues its journey towards economic prosperity, road safety should receive additional attention. Efforts should especially focus on motorcycles.