Women drivers in Kabul said they feel much comfortable when they are behind the wheel to drive in the city as they argue that unlike the past, it is not strange for the people to see women and girls drive.

This has helped the women to add to their numbers, said a woman driver. However, the woman drivers said they have to handle the heavy traffic in Kabul – mostly two times in a day.

Designed for few hundred thousand vehicles, the Kabul city has over 800,000 cars, according to the traffic department statistics. The high number of vehicles and a poor road conditions are the main reasons for heavy traffic in the city.   

“I can save money now as I drive my own car and I don’t have to pay for taxies,” said Sanam Waisi, a young woman from Kabul, who started driving her own car five years ago.  

Waisi, who works for an international organization and studies at a private university in Kabul, said lack of traffic signs and standard roads is a problem for woman drivers. 

“The traffic in Kabul is often heavy,” said Waisi. 

According to the General Directorate of Traffic, the number of woman drivers is increasing in Kabul.

Statistics by the department show that 180 women have received driving licenses from the office since April.  

Hanifa Nazari, another woman driver in Kabul, said she has seven years of driving experience in the city and outside the province. 

She said at first people’s reaction was negative, but now they are happy when they see women are driving vehicles in the city. 

“Women should try to solve their problems on their own. They should drive when they need to,” said Nazari.

Herat and Balkh are other cities where the number of woman drivers has increased.