In a move further tightening restrictions on women’s freedoms, the Taliban’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat province has ordered local authorities to ban women from driving.
According to an official letter obtained by local media, Sheikh Aziz-ur-Rahman Muhajir, head of the directorate, justified the decision by claiming women have “scattered minds” and are “incapable of learning to drive.” He described driving as a serious responsibility where even minor errors could be deadly.
The directive instructs Herat’s traffic department to immediately enforce the ban on all female drivers in the city and on public roads. The announcement marks yet another rollback of women’s rights under Taliban rule, where female drivers were already uncommon and often faced threats and harassment.
Despite such claims, global research consistently shows women are statistically safer drivers than men. A study by British researchers found that male drivers were significantly more likely to cause fatal accidents, especially among motorcyclists and truck drivers.
Afghanistan continues to report high rates of road accidents. Over the recent Eid holidays, the Taliban’s traffic directorate recorded 117 incidents across the country, resulting in 43 deaths, including two women and 10 children, and 158 injuries.
Women in Herat report increasing fear and intimidation when driving. One resident, Setayesh, told foreign media she had been assaulted by Taliban members for being behind the wheel. “We drive because we must,” she said. “But now, we’re being told we can’t leave home without a male guardian.”
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has become the Taliban’s main vehicle for enforcing policies aimed at erasing women from public life. The ministry has already banned women from parks, long-distance travel without a male escort, and appearing in public without full-body coverings.
