Police in S. Afghanistan detain drivers without driving documents

KABUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Police in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province have detained drivers without driving licenses and other documents to ensure safe driving of the commuters, provincial traffic police chief Mohammad Ayub said Sunday.

The initiative is being implemented in the wake of deadly road accidents on the Kandahar-Kabul highway over the past couple of months which had claimed scores of lives.

Traffic police would also check the drivers if they use intoxicants such as hashish before sitting behind the steering to ensure safety driving on the highway, Ayub added.

Traffic police have launched regular highway patrol to check the speed of passenger buses as well as driving licenses and driving permits, Ayub said, adding that so far, over three dozen drivers have been apprehended and referred to concerned bodies for interrogation.

To ensure safe driving, the traffic police of the Afghan interim government have begun reconstruction of the highways, installing traffic signals as well as cameras on some roads in some provinces including the capital city of Kabul. ■