CommentaryPhnom PenhTravel

Surviving Minor Motorbike Accidents in Phnom Penh

If you regularly ride around Phnom Penh on a motorbike the unfortunate truth is that your likelihood of being involved in some form of accident at one point or another is reasonably high. However, there are a few simple ways to improve your chances of escaping with all your belongings – and your brains – in one piece.

Having been the victim of a minor incident not so long ago, I discovered this the hard way. In true Cambodian style a motodup not only decided to drive down the road the wrong way, but felt that the best course was to head straight down the middle of the lane into the busiest part of the traffic during morning rush hour. We swerved, someone hesitated, and I found myself being launched off the back of the bike. I was very fortunate to escape with just a few scrapes and bruises, but it did teach me a few things in terms of being prepared. So for those daring beings who brave the Cambodian roads, I thought I would share a few things I’ve learned.

• Get up; get hell out of the road

It may sound obvious, but this simple yet effective action is a good one to prioritize. I’m sure there are worse places to be, but lying amid a swarm of early morning motorbikes isn’t somewhere I would recommend spending too much time. Even if you hurt all over, limping to the side of the road is generally the best course of action to avoid further injury.

• Be prepared

Borrowing from the Scouts, being prepared for anything is a good moto motto to follow when living in this city. Pack your bag so it could withstand a minor apocalypse, and it might just make it through Phnom Penh’s roads unscathed. Sturdy casing is essential for anything breakable – my sunglasses case was smashed to smithereens when my bag went under the back wheel of a tuk tuk, but the glasses miraculously survived. Extra padding is also helpful. Quite by chance, that morning I had thrown both an umbrella and a scarf in my bag, along with a paperback book. It turns out these were the things that absorbed the shock of the impact rather than the screen of the tablet I was carrying. These days, I throw in whatever extra padding I can find – at this time of year ponchos and other rain gear seem the most practical. After all an umbrella is eminently more replaceable than expensive electronics.

• Wear a decent helmet

Yes, we all know we should, but how many people on the road actually abide by this law? Wearing a helmet certainly stopped me getting one hell of a headache. Yes, they may be hot and sweaty, but as an investment they are more along the lines of cheap insurance. Finding something to protect your head is certainly less inconvenient – and less expensive – than a prolonged stay in hospital. Even with a helmet on my head was pounding afterwards; I don’t want to think what it would have been like if it was my skull hitting the pavement.

• Clean up quick

For any injuries that you do sustain, you may end up being overwhelmed by concerned Cambodians dabbing purple liquid all over you. While it may look slightly disconcerting, it’s only iodine so not necessarily a bad idea. Given the layer of dirt covering pretty much all road surfaces, the more antiseptic you accept the better. Cambodians seem to have mastered picking themselves up, coating themselves in iodine if needed and quickly being on their way. From my experience, this isn’t a bad rule to follow, but more because sitting in pain at the side of a road is hardly the most appealing situation to remain in for long. Clean up quick and get out of there – but then get yourself to a proper clinic.

• Speak better Khmer

When you’ve just been through a reasonably traumatic experience, a level of Khmer knowledge sufficient for buying groceries at the market suddenly seems rather inadequate. I am well practiced at giving motodups basic directions, but found I had a sudden desire to hold a conversation more along the lines of “What the hell were you doing?” than “turn left, please”. It turns out the ability to say “Hello, how are you? I’m fine” doesn’t really cut it when you are NOT feeling fine. The small crowd of onlookers bustling about me were all very well-meaning, but that’s small comfort when not one of them understands your pleas for a tuk tuk to take you home.

Jenny Conrad

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