KABUL — The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) has warned that road safety in Afghanistan has become a critical public concern, describing it as “a matter of life and death,” as the world marks Global Road Safety Awareness Week.
In a public message shared on social media, the agency urged action to address the deteriorating condition of the country’s roads and to improve transportation safety for Afghan citizens. “Every life matters. Let’s make Afghanistan’s roads safer,” the statement read.
While UN-Habitat noted it had launched pilot awareness campaigns in 2024 in collaboration with the UN Road Safety Fund, it emphasized that far more needs to be done to address systemic risks. The agency is calling for renewed national and international efforts to improve infrastructure and safety standards across the country.
Despite repeated claims by the Taliban that they have secured Afghanistan’s highways and restored key infrastructure, residents and travelers report a sharp decline in road quality—particularly along major interprovincial routes.
“The condition of the roads has never been this bad,” said one resident of eastern Afghanistan, who frequently travels to Kabul. “Traveling to the capital now takes hours longer due to potholes, collapsed bridges, and unmaintained stretches.”
Motorists complain of mounting costs due to vehicle damage and fuel consumption, and warn that poorly maintained roads are contributing to a rise in fatal traffic accidents, particularly in rural and mountainous areas.
Road infrastructure has received limited attention since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the international community scaling back funding for development projects. The UN and humanitarian organizations continue to press for expanded investment in basic infrastructure as a prerequisite for safety and economic recovery.
