President criticizes rise in traffic accidents involving students in Namangan

On May 15, during a videoconference chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev focused on enhancing the effectiveness of reforms in the school education system and outlining future priorities, a troubling trend was highlighted. It was reported that in Namangan and other regions, the widespread access of students to rental cars has led to 10–15 youth injuries each month, with several incidents resulting in fatalities.

The president sharply criticized the inaction of internal affairs officers, regional officials, and district prosecutors, describing their failure to uphold the law as unacceptable.

In response to the alarming situation, the development of a draft law was ordered to increase accountability for those who allow minors to operate vehicles.

Another issue raised during the meeting was excessive smartphone use among students in grades 7–11. It was noted that these students spend up to eight hours daily on their phones and social media platforms—a trend that should raise concern among school principals, teachers, and parents alike.

To recall, on April 2 this year, in the Davlatabad district of Namangan region, a Nexia-3 driven by schoolchildren collided with a truck. Investigations revealed that an 11th-grade student had rented the vehicle to two 9th graders for two hours at a cost of 220,000 sums.

In another incident on April 15, two 8th-grade students from School No. 70 in the Yangi Namangan district rented a Spark car for eight hours from a group operating a car rental service via Telegram, paying 1 million sums. While driving at high speed, the children lost control and crashed into a roadside concrete barrier. Both sustained injuries and were hospitalized.

Following these incidents, Dilmurod Ismailov, a member of the “Adolat” Social Democratic Party faction in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, voiced serious concern over the unregulated short-term rental of vehicles to minors. He submitted a parliamentary inquiry to the Minister of Transport, Ilhom Rustamovich Mahkamov, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Aziz Anvarovich Toshpulatov, urging immediate action.