122 traffic accidents in Balkh last year cause 268 casualties

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): More than 120 traffic accidents took place in northern Balkh province last year, leaving 108 people dead and 160 others injured, an official said on Monday.

Balkh traffic department official Maulvi Abdul Qayum Mubariz told Pajhwok Afghan News 122 traffic accidents occurred in Balkh last year, killing 108 people and injuring another 160.

About the traffic department’s revenue, Mubariz said they collected 185 million afghanis in revenue from issuing licenses to vehicles in the past year.

Another senior official of the Traffic Department, Maulvi Noor Alam Qudrat also said traffic personnel were preventing passenger vehicles from stopping outside stands daily.

According to him, the General Directorate of Traffic has planned to decrease congestions, but provided no details about the plan.

Nooruddin Rahimi, a resident of Balkh, told Pajhwok most accidents occurred to due reckless driving and destroyed roads, asking relevant authorities not to allow driving without license.

Abdul Hai, a taxi driver, said some drivers were unaware about traffic laws and others violated traffic rules despite knowing them.

Matiullah Ahmadzai, another resident, asked drivers to follow traffic laws and not to play with their own and people’s lives.

Every year, thousands of people including children and women die or sustain injuries in traffic accidents resulting from ruined roads and reckless driving in the country.

hz/ma

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