Teenagers Driving

 Written by: Samira Haleemzai

Driving has special regulations and children under 18 are not allowed to drive but some children are eager to drive. When these children find the time, they took a car and try it. As there are traffic polices in the city, the children rare could drive a car but more children in rural areas drive a car and most of them create problems.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

A child in a juvenile rehabilitation center, Kabul city says: “One day I was driving a car on the road in Bagrami district, Kabul province. A pedestrian was crossing the rod and I hit him by the car. When I saw the accident, I became unconscious and my brother took me to the doctor. When I asked my brother about the accident, he told me that I had hit a 30 years old man and he passed away.”

Faridullah Azizi, a resident of Kabul city says: “Somedays back, there were many people gathered a wedding ceremony in our village. My cousin took a car’s key from his father and told him that he wants to sit in the car with his friends for a while. When he got on the car, he started it and hit some guest and he injured himself too.”

Why teenagers get the opportunity to drive a car?

Arizo, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says: “My father has a car and my 15 years old brother likes to drive the car. When my father goes to his job, he keeps the car's key with my mother. My brother gets the key from my mother and takes the car out of the home and he drives it and there is no traffic police in the village to prevent children’s driving.”

Ahmad Tariq, a resident of Kabul city says: “When a teenager takes the car without the permission of his father, the mother hides the issue from her husband and the sun continues driving.”

What do people think about the solution to this issue?

Muhammad Yunus, a resident of Chaharasiab district, Kabul province says: “I like driving and we have a car at home too but as my parents do not allow me to drive, I have not tried yet to drive it. I want to study a driving course first, and after getting a driving license, then I would start driving.”

Khan Muhammad, a traffic police manger, Kabul city says: “The person who wants to get a driving license, must be 18 years old otherwise, he would be an offender. To get the driving license, one should go to a driving course and learn traffic signs and if he passes the driving test, then he would get the driving license.”