Road crash and victim information systems (RCVIS)

Since 1995, three different ministries (Public Work and Transport, Interior, and Health) havebeen involved in road traffic accident data collection in Cambodia. In 2004, a need forimprovement was observed, as the accident databases in those ministries were under reported,limited in their scope, discrepant and were not compatible. For these reasons, HandicapInternational Belgium (HIB) initiated a project to set up a new Road Crash and Victim Information System (RCVIS) in accordance with the requirements of ASEAN and the United Nations and aligned to the National Road Safety Action Plan of Cambodia, in collaboration with the above-mentioned ministries and WHO to provide government and development stakeholders in Cambodia with accurate, continuous and comprehensive information on road traffic crashes and victims for the purposes of increased understanding of the current road safety situation, planning appropriate responses and evaluating impact of current and future initiatives. The system is based on RCVIS forms, which are filled and sent every month by traffic police and hospital staff from all provinces. The operation cycle of the system consists of data collection, data verification and follows up, data entry and storage, data check and analysis, monthly/annual report production, and report dissemination. The system is implemented via existing networks of the government with limited financial resources, but covering all provinces. It has become a tool to lobby the government for higher commitment on road safety, especially in the approval of the national road traffic law and road safety week. RCVIS is disseminated regularly in soft and hard copy, and through main national media (newspapers, magazines, radio and TVs) every month. To ensure the sustainability of the system, RCVIS is being progressively transferred to the National Road Safety Committee and relevant ministries. Trainings and appropriated staff have been identified in the government to ensure full capacity of managing the data at the end of 2009. In addition, based on this successful experience, RCVIS will be extended into broader injury surveillance system under the ministry of Health next year.