Improving the process of technology transfer for better road safety policy outcomes in Cambodia and the Lao PDR

Road safety programs which have proven effective in developed countries are frequently less successful when transferred to developing countries. The objective of this thesis is to analyse impediments to successful transfer using case studies from Cambodia and Laos. The central research question is How can public policy improve technology transfer outcomes? Three chapter-length case studies drawn from Laos and Cambodia are presented to analyse the practical policy problems of the technology transfer process. The first case study identifies two-wheel tractors (2WTs) as a new road safety problem and explores how vehicle safety standards could improve their safety. The second case study examines pickup truck canopies proven to prevent injuries to cargo-area passengers in Australia. This chapter investigates whether canopies would protect passengers in Cambodia, and concludes that the canopies are being used to overload vehicles rather than protect passengers. This is a study in how unintended consequences can exacerbate a problem if the effect of the operating environment is not understood. The final case study compares how motorcycle helmet-wearing programs are implemented in Cambodia and Laos. It analyses how technology transfer problems can emerge in the implementation of a simple road safety intervention such as a helmet. The question of how we implement successful road safety interventions developed in other countries is a recurring one. This thesis concludes that technolosgy transfer is very much dependent on governance capacity. Effective road safety technology transfer requires good policy to identify problems, develop solutions, and implement them.