Cambodia Reports 34 Crashes and 26 Deaths Over Pchum Ben Holiday

October 11 had the highest injury toll

The ministry's daily breakdown shows that October 10 accounted for 14 crashes, 12 deaths and 23 injuries. Ten crashes on October 11 killed six people and injured 51. On October 12, another ten crashes resulted in eight deaths and 27 injuries. The day with the most reported injuries was therefore not the one with the most crashes.

An Interior Ministry account published on October 14 also identified the reported causes. Speeding was listed in 13 cases, failure to give way in ten, failure to keep right in six and improper overtaking in three. One case involved alcohol and one a vehicle-related factor. These are classifications of the recorded crashes; they are not a count of every traffic offence committed over the holiday.

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The year-on-year increase is specific to the festival

Compared with the equivalent three-day Pchum Ben period in 2025, there were 14 more crashes, 16 more deaths and 71 more injuries. The National Road Safety Committee noted that major holidays bring heavier traffic and a greater number of road incidents as people travel across the country.

The ministry also reported 143 crashes, 86 deaths and 258 injuries across the longer Kan Ben and Pchum Ben observance period. That wider tally already includes the final three holiday days. Adding the two sets of figures together would count the same incidents twice.

A road-trip lesson without overstating the numbers

Residents planning visits across provinces can use the report to reconsider tight driving schedules. A journey that leaves no time for breaks may encourage speeding or unsafe overtaking if travel takes longer than expected. Keeping a sober driver, allowing time to rest and avoiding aggressive manoeuvres are more practical responses than trying to identify a supposedly safe route from national totals.

Crucially, the ministry's figures do not include how many journeys were made or how far vehicles travelled. They cannot establish the likelihood of a crash on any individual trip, nor do three festive days describe road conditions throughout the rest of the year.