Road accidents
❃ Road accidents
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ខ្ញុំមានគ្រោះថ្នាក់ចរាចរណ៍
[ khnom mean kruoh thnak charachor ] -
I had a traffic accident
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ម៉ូតូនោះបុកខ្ញុំ
[ moto noh bok khnom ] -
That motorbike hit me
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ឡាននោះមិនឈប់ទេ
[ lan noh min chhop te ] -
The car didn't stop
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តើអ្នកមានរបួសទេ?
[ tae neak mean robuoh te? ] -
Are you hurt?
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សូមកុំកម្រើកគាត់
[ som kom kamraeuk koat ] -
Don't move him/her
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សូមថតស្លាកលេខឡាននោះ
[ som thot slak lekh lan noh ] -
Please take a photo of that license plate
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វាមិនមែនជាកំហុសរបស់ខ្ញុំទេ
[ vea min maen chea komhos robos khnom te ] -
It is not my fault
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គាត់ជិះបំពានភ្លើងក្រហម
[ koat chih bompean phleung krohom ] -
He ran the red light
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សូមហៅប៉ូលិស!
[ som hav polis! ] -
Call the police!
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តើយើងអាចដោះស្រាយគ្នាដោយមិនបាច់ហៅប៉ូលិសបានទេ?
[ tae yeung ach doh sray knea daoy min bach hav polis ban te? ] -
Can we settle this without calling the police?
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ខ្ញុំនឹងសងថ្លៃខូចខាត
[ khnom nüng song thlay khoch khat ] -
I will pay for the damages
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តើអ្នកចង់បានប៉ុន្មានសម្រាប់ថ្លៃជួសជុល?
[ tae neak chong ban ponman somrap thlay chuos chol? ] -
How much do you want for the repair?
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ម៉ូតូខ្ញុំខូចហើយ
[ moto khnom khoch haey ] -
My motorbike is broken
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តើកន្លែងជាងម៉ូតូនៅឯណា?
[ tae kanlaeng cheang moto nov aena? ] -
Where is the motorbike mechanic?
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សូមជួយរុញម៉ូតូខ្ញុំបន្តិចបានទេ?
[ som chuoy ronh moto khnom bantech ban te? ] -
Can you help me push my motorbike?
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ខ្ញុំអស់សាំងហើយ
[ khnom os sang haey ] -
I ran out of gas
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កង់ម៉ូតូខ្ញុំបែកហើយ
[ kong moto khnom baek haey ] -
My motorbike tire exploded (flat tire)
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ម៉ាស៊ីនរលត់បាត់ហើយ
[ masin rolot bat haey ] -
The engine died
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សូមជួយតេទៅកន្លែងជួលម៉ូតូឱ្យខ្ញុំផង
[ som chuoy te tov kanlaeng chuol moto aoy khnom phong ] -
Please call the motorbike rental shop for me
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នេះជាលេខទូរស័ព្ទរបស់ម្ចាស់ម៉ូតូ
[ nih chea lekh toursap robos mchas moto ] -
Here is the phone number of the motorbike owner
Traffic in Cambodia looks chaotic, resembling a flowing school of fish where scooters, cars, and tuk-tuks weave around each other constantly. Due to this dense traffic, minor collisions are incredibly common. If you rent a scooter and experience a minor fender-bender, stating "I had a traffic accident" — Khnom mean kruoh thnak charachor (ខ្ញុំមានគ្រោះថ្នាក់ចរាចរណ៍) is the first step, but what follows is a huge cultural divergence from Western norms. In the West, even for a minor scratch, you call the police and your insurance company. In Cambodia, calling the police for a minor accident is strongly avoided by locals. The police process is tedious, and officers will often confiscate both vehicles until a resolution is reached, charging heavy "administrative fees" to both parties. Therefore, locals vastly prefer to settle things quietly on the spot. If someone bumps into you, they might simply offer you cash for repairs. If you are at fault, asking "Can we settle this without calling the police?" — Tae yeung ach doh sray knea daoy min bach hav polis ban te? (តើយើងអាចដោះស្រាយគ្នាដោយមិនបាច់ហៅប៉ូលិសបានទេ?) and "I will pay for the damages" — Khnom nüng song thlay khoch khat (ខ្ញុំនឹងសងថ្លៃខូចខាត) is the culturally expected protocol. You then negotiate a fair sum for the broken mirror or scratched paint: "How much do you want for the repair?" — Tae neak chong ban ponman somrap thlay chuos chol? (តើអ្នកចង់បានប៉ុន្មានសម្រាប់ថ្លៃជួសជុល?). Settling the matter amicably with a handful of dollars saves everyone time and face. However, if the accident involves injuries, "Are you hurt?" — Tae neak mean robuoh te? (តើអ្នកមានរបួសទេ?), the situation escalates, and you must call the authorities. Understanding this "cash on the spot" settlement system is vital for driving confidently in Southeast Asia.
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