Afghanistan Times
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By Akhtar M. Nikzad-KABUL: As many as 1,406 people had died and 4,000 wounded in traffic accidents last year across the country, officials in the ministry of transportation and civil aviation said.
Lack of standard roads and traffic signs were called as the main elements of the casualties.
Deputy transport minister Sayed Wali Sultan said that 2015 was a bloody year of traffic accidents.
“Unfortunately, we were witnessing of irritant traffic accidents in various parts of the country that show the regulations need for review and it requires a clear framework to manage the transportation system,” he said, speaking at an occasion of the International Road Safety Week in Kabul.
Afghanistan has high traffic accidents after Bangladesh among the eight South Asian countries.
Few weeks ago, 13 passengers died and 75 others injured as the result of bus crashes in Ghazni province. This accident was an irritant incident which had great casualties.
Lack of transportation terminal, unprofessional drivers, lack of traffic signs and insecurity are the main challenges in front of transportation firm in the country.
Sayed Wali Sultan said ministry of transport builds terminals in some provinces of the country and would be inaugurated in the near future.
He asked the transportation firms to pay attention over safety of passengers through observation of the trip principles and regulation.
“Establishment of the urgent clinic across the highway and engagement of professional drives in transportation firm is the main necessity of the passengers during the trip,” he added.
Masood Ahmad Azizi, Deputy Minister of Interior said in the occasion that insecurity, construction of nonstandard road, lack of traffic signs, over loading of the vehicles are the main factors for increasing road accidents.
He added that averagely every year, 1,200 people lose their life and 250 people are injured as the result of irritant traffic accidents in the country.
On the other hand, Head of Roads Observation in Ministry of Public Work, Rayes Khil said that existence of corruption in the high tonnage balance in the ports and increasing the number of trucks resulted to destruction of the roads.
“The high tonnage trucks which pass the road create great danger for our roads if government does no pay notice our roads will be destroyed furthermore,” he asserted.
