Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation says it has installed GPS tracking systems in 47,000 vehicles across the country as part of an effort to enforce speed limits and improve safety on the nation’s highways, which have long been among the deadliest in the country.
Speaking to Khate Nakhost, Hafizullah Halimi, the ministry’s Director of Technical Services, said the ministry has signed agreements with 22 private transport companies to implement the GPS monitoring program.
Under the system, passenger vehicles are permitted to travel at a maximum speed of 105 kilometers per hour, while freight vehicles are limited to 70 kilometers per hour on highways.
Halimi said the ministry operates dedicated technical monitoring teams that track vehicle speeds through the GPS. If a vehicle exceeds the legal speed limit, ministry officials immediately contact the transport company and the driver to address the violation.
According to the ministry, the GPS initiative is designed to regulate driving behavior, improve compliance with speed limits, and reduce traffic accidents on Afghanistan’s highways.
Road traffic accidents remain a major public safety challenge in Afghanistan. Poor road conditions, speeding, reckless driving, and inadequate enforcement of traffic regulations contribute to dozens of serious crashes each year, resulting in significant loss of life and injuries. Officials hope the wider use of GPS monitoring technology will help improve road safety and reduce the number of fatal accidents.
