Child road deaths in Uzbekistan raise alarms as public demands accountability

According to the Supreme Court, 3,321 individuals were prosecuted in 2024 under Article 266 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to violations of traffic safety rules or the operation of vehicles. Of those, 917 were sentenced to imprisonment, while 2,404 received non-custodial sentences.

During the first quarter of 2025 alone, 891 people were convicted under this article, with 173 sentenced to imprisonment and 718 receiving alternative penalties not involving incarceration.

Notable traffic accidents in March:

On March 13 in Jizzakh, a Matiz driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a truck, resulting in his death. On March 12 in Tashkent, a Lacetti was completely crushed after colliding with a tree. On March 7 in Navoi, a collision between a Damas and a Cobalt left one person injured. On March 17 around 06:30 AM, a truck traveling on the Tashkent–Bekabad highway veered into the opposite lane – allegedly because the driver fell asleep – and crashed into an Isuzu vehicle.

In another case, a speeding Lexus driver in Tashkent struck a parked car and an elderly pedestrian.

Child fatalities on the roads

In November 2024, in the Baxmal district of Jizzakh region, a Cobalt hit two underage girls while speeding. In Samarkand, a schoolchild crossing the road near a school was fatally struck by a bus. In Surkhandarya, a first-grader died after being hit by a Nexia.

According to the Senate, there were 359 road traffic accidents involving students during the first five months of 2024. These incidents resulted in 65 deaths and 294 injuries of varying severity. In 2023, there were 1,794 traffic accidents involving children, with 1,568 injuries and 263 fatalities.

In September, a BYD vehicle in Tashkent struck and killed a 9-year-old schoolboy. A similar incident occurred in July in the Khatirchi district of Navoi region, where a speeding BYD hit a 9-year-old girl at a pedestrian crossing. That same month in Samarkand, a 7-year-old child died after being hit by a car. In April, two schoolchildren died in a traffic accident in Jizzakh.

The sharp increase in fatal accidents involving children has prompted public activists to demand political accountability for child deaths on the roads.