Despite relatively low rates of car ownership and weak reporting of road crashes in Afghan cities, there is a recognized need to address road safety in Afghanistan especially in terms of injuries sustained due to road and traffic incidents.

The Afghanistan Mortality Report (2010) found that road injuries were responsible for 24 percent of injuries among all ages of Afghan male population – causing more injuries than war or violence.

Urban streets in Afghanistan suffer from chronic congestion and poor conditions including a lack of pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, road markings and signage. Almost no streets have separate sections for pedestrians or cyclists. 

Importantly – almost 50 percent of road traffic injuries were sustained by pedestrians and many (30-40 percent) of these injuries are sustained by people walking on the roads and/or in areas where there were inadequate protection for pedestrians or inadequate crossing. 

This indicates an important area where road safety and urban practitioners can take action to improve urban street safety conditions for pedestrians.