Several residents of Badakhshan province have expressed concern over the rise in traffic accidents in the province. They say that traffic accidents claim the lives of dozens of people every month and leave dozens more injured and disabled. According to these residents, the lack of standard roads, failure to repair damaged road sections promptly, the Taliban’s negligence, non-compliance with traffic laws, and reckless driving are among the main factors behind the increase in traffic accidents in Badakhshan.
Noor Ahmad (pseudonym), a resident of Badakhshan province, expressed concern over the rise in traffic accidents. He said: “The main causes of traffic accidents are reckless driving, poor road conditions, and the lack of professional training among drivers. Many drivers do not hold a driver’s license, and authorities conduct no proper screening, testing, or evaluation before issuing one. On the other hand, traffic laws are not properly observed because many drivers lack sufficient awareness and knowledge in this area.”
This Badakhshan resident attributes traffic accidents in the cities and surrounding areas of the province to poor road conditions and the absence of standard roads. He added: “At least 15 traffic accidents occur every month, and these incidents claim the lives of at least 50 people each month.”
Noor Ahmad said: “Those who drive must hold a valid driver’s license. Traffic laws must be observed, and the authorities must enforce them seriously and effectively.”
Forouzan (pseudonym), another resident of Badakhshan province who occasionally travels along the Kabul-Badakhshan or Badakhshan-Kabul route, said he has witnessed traffic accidents numerous times during his travels. He said: “During my trips, especially on routes connecting provinces, I usually witness more traffic accidents than normal. These accidents tend to happen on intercity roads or in congested stretches and range from vehicle collisions and rollovers to crashes caused by reckless driving.”
Forouzan added that he experiences stress while traveling due to these concerns. He said, “The uncertainty of road conditions, route safety, and whether we will arrive on time can be extremely stressful.”
He said that one of the most significant factors contributing to traffic accidents is the poor and uneven condition of roads, as drivers cannot travel safely or at an appropriate speed. He added: “In many areas, especially on roads that receive less attention, the lack of timely repairs and proper maintenance causes the damage to worsen day by day.”
Fayaz (pseudonym) said the roads in Badakhshan are severely damaged and deteriorated, which has further increased the likelihood of traffic accidents. He added: “On one hand, the roads are in poor condition and substandard, and on the other, the recklessness of some drivers leads to frequent traffic accidents. In a number of Badakhshan’s districts, roads have deteriorated to such an extent that travel on them is extremely difficult, and at times, passage is entirely impossible.
“This situation claims the lives of a large number of people every year.” According to him, a significant portion of the roads have been destroyed by heavy cargo vehicles, avalanches, landslides, and flooding, and have not been fundamentally reconstructed to this day.
Nawid (pseudonym), a close relative of someone injured in a traffic accident in Badakhshan province, said the incident has severely affected their family’s life. He said: “About a year ago, my cousin was hit by a vehicle on the Kabul-Badakhshan highway. The driver was not in a normal state and was reportedly under the influence of narcotics. As a result, he sustained severe injuries and was transferred to the central hospital in Badakhshan, where he remained in a coma for about 15 days.
“On the advice of doctors, he was then transferred to a hospital in Kunduz province, where he spent another two weeks under medical care and treatment. Fortunately, after some time, he emerged from the coma, and his health gradually improved.”
Meanwhile, the Taliban announced on Saturday that 18 passengers in a vehicle carrying families of returnees from Pakistan were killed in a traffic accident in Laghman province. According to a statement released by the group, 18 people, including five women and 10 children, were killed, and 29 others were injured in the incident.
Previously, the Emergency Hospital in Kabul had announced that traffic accidents in Afghanistan increased fivefold during the first two years of Taliban rule. In a published report, the hospital stated that recorded statistics of traffic accidents between March 2022 and March 2024 showed a 78.5 percent increase.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
افزایش حوادث ترافیکی در بدخشان؛ ماهانه دهها تن جان میبازند
