Ban on right hand vehicles urged

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some experts and common people have said that right hand vehicles driving in Afghanistan caused traffic accidents and demanded its import to be banned.

They also said unregistered vehicles were used in criminal activities and should not be allowed to be driven before their registration process is completed.

This comes that the right hand vehicles are imported into the country since a long time, a move against the countries traffic law. Currently, a large number of right-hand vehicles are driven on the country’ roads.

The previous government had distributed stickers for the right-drive vehicle and this process was still underway.

The Central Traffic Department said stickers’ distribution to right hand drive vehicles will continue till August and if anyone’s who failed to register would be dealt according the law.

Ban on right hand vehicles import urged

Some people have sent voice massages to Pajhwok Afghan News Public Voice Programme and demanded ban on the import of right hand vehicles.

Aman Stanikzai said: “We want the government to ban the right hand vehicles import as soon as possible, it posed huge threat to public life in Afghanistan, we want officials to pay serious attention to this issue.”

He wrote many traffic accidents are happening on the Kabul-Jalalabad Road and the reason behind these accidents are the right hand vehicles.

Shafiqullah Khan said the distribution of vehicles registration papers to right hand vehicles should be banned in Afghanistan because it caused traffic accidents.

“The fact that a large number of right hand vehicles were imported so there is the danger that the traffic system from right hand would be changed to left hand likewise Pakistan.”

Retired Traffic Department Officer Col. Jailani Wardak told Pajhwok Afghan News the existence of right hand vehicles in Afghanistan was a big issue.

Many countries in the world approved traffic system where the vehicle steering is on the left side while UK, India, Pakistan and in some other countries the traffic system is opposite.

He asked the Traffic Department not to issue registration documents to right-hand vehicles from the designated date so that its import would be stopped.

Traffic Department Planning and Policy Director Abdul Wadoud Khairkhwa said: “The presence of right hand vehicles on Afghanistan roads was against the law, the vision sight of right hand vehicles was completely blocked because the traffic system in Afghanistan is for left hand vehicles, these vehicles are most vulnerable for accidents because its drivers cannot assume danger properly during the drive.”

Earlier, the Traffic Department Head Haseebullah Mokhtar said that right hand vehicles caused lawlessness, disorder and traffic congestion in Afghanistan.

Finance Ministry Spokesperson Ahmad Walli Haqmal, said three months earlier it was decided that the import of right hand vehicles would be stopped and all such vehicles existing currently would be distributed registration document.

He said: “At the end of three months period the Interior Ministry extend the registration period, some businessmen also contacted Finance Ministry and said that they purchased a large number of right hand vehicles and spent millions of dollars purchasing them so therefore the import of right hand vehicles not stopped.”

“Exactly how many right hand vehicles are in Afghanistan we cannot say because during past regime most of the right hand vehicles were imported without custom duty or in the farm of spare parts,” said Haqmal.

The Traffic Department announced to the owners of these vehicles to register their vehicles till July 22, 2023 as the last chance of registration and beyond that date unregistered right hand vehicles would be dealt according to the cabinet procedure.

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