Surge in traffic accidents on Kabul-Kandahar highway leaves over 100 dead in 3 months

Kabul [Afghanistan], October 7 (ANI): Local officials in Maidan Wardak and Ghazni provinces have reported a surge in road accidents over the past three months, with 295 incidents resulting in 504 casualties, including women and children, Tolo News reported.

According to officials' data, most of the accidents occurred along the Kabul-Kandahar highway, one of Afghanistan's busiest and most vital transit routes.

Of the 504 victims, 102 people, including 10 women and 27 children, lost their lives, while 402 others, including 56 women and 60 children, sustained injuries, Tolo News reported.

Ezatullah Saeedi, spokesperson for the Ghazni governor, said, "Unfortunately, during the past three months, 90 traffic accidents occurred in Ghazni's districts and along the Kabul-Kandahar highway. In these incidents, 58 people, including women and children, were killed and 116 others injured."

Similarly, Mohammad Yousuf Asrar, spokesperson for the Maidan Wardak Police Command, said, "In the past three months, in Saratan, Asad, and Sunbula, 205 traffic accidents took place in Maidan Wardak, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and injuries to 232 others. Among the dead were three women and ten children, while among the injured were 25 women and 36 children."

The Kabul-Kandahar highway serves as a crucial economic corridor connecting central Afghanistan with the southern provinces. However, frequent traffic accidents on this route have become a growing public concern.

Officials and residents have attributed the rise in accidents to several causes, including violations of traffic rules, reckless driving, the narrowness of the highway, unlicensed drivers, and the prevalence of left-hand-drive vehicles that do not comply with Afghan regulations, Tolo News stated.

A driver in Ghazni named Irfan told Tolo News: "Many drivers don't know how to give way. They've bought cars but don't know how to drive properly, they crash, harming themselves and others. On this road, trucks, motorcycles, and rickshaws all drive together. At night, most vehicles don't even have headlights, that's why so many accidents happen."

A local resident, Asadullah, also shared his concerns, saying, "There should be mobile traffic teams everywhere to monitor drivers. At night, laser headlights are used improperly, which causes accidents, drivers should use dim lights instead. The government must also check drivers for valid licences."

Residents have urged authorities to take serious measures to reduce and prevent further traffic incidents.

Another resident, Abdullah, said, "There's not a single day without bloodshed, not a day without an accident. We've seen so many deaths, how long will this continue? Drivers must be more cautious and drive carefully, and the government needs to address these issues seriously."

Local authorities said they have established 14-hour checkpoints along the Kabul-Kandahar highway to prevent accidents. Hundreds of traffic violations have already been recorded, and legal action has been taken against the offenders, Tolo News reported.

Earlier, the General Directorate of Traffic identified left-hand-drive vehicles, poor road conditions, careless driving, and lack of public awareness as the main causes of traffic accidents in Afghanistan.

The department said it is working on a new plan to prevent such incidents, including tighter restrictions on second-hand vehicle imports from Pakistan and stricter monitoring of vehicle speed on key highways. (ANI)

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