10th grader overturns Spark vehicle in Andijan

On May 15, a Spark vehicle driven by a teenager overturned in the Andijan district of the Andijan region. The incident was reported by the regional Road Safety Department.

According to the report, the accident occurred at approximately 13:45 on Iftikhor Street in the “Karakalpak” mahalla of Andijan district. A minor, born in 2008, was behind the wheel of a Spark vehicle owned by his relative, A.M., also born in 2008. The driver reportedly exceeded the speed limit, lost control of the steering wheel, and caused the vehicle to overturn. No injuries were reported, although the car sustained technical damage.

The Traffic Safety Department of the Andijan district Internal Affairs Department has launched an investigation into the incident.

This case has drawn renewed attention to the issue of minors operating motor vehicles in Uzbekistan. On April 2, a Nexia-3 driven by schoolchildren collided with a truck in the Davlatabad district of the Namangan region. Investigators later revealed that an 11th-grade student had rented the vehicle to a group of 9th graders for two hours in exchange for 220,000 sums.

Following the incident, Dilmurod Ismailov, a member of the "Adolat" Social Democratic Party faction in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, voiced serious concern over the widespread and illegal practice of short-term car rentals to underage drivers. He submitted a parliamentary inquiry to Minister of Transport Ilhom Rustamovich Makhkamov and Minister of Internal Affairs Aziz Anvarovich Toshpulatov, urging urgent action.

The issue was also addressed during a videoconference meeting held on May 15 and chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The session focused on advancing reforms in the school education system. The president highlighted that the rise in student access to rental vehicles—particularly in the Namangan region—has led to frequent road accidents, with 10 to 15 young people injured monthly and several cases resulting in fatalities.