Tajikistan approves mandatory seat belt use for drivers and front seat passengers
In February 2026, the President of Tajikistan signed into law amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences introducing a specific offence for failing to wear a seat belt. This is the first time in Tajikistan’s history that seat belt non-compliance has been clearly defined as a standalone offence. This milestone marks the conclusion of a two-year project to improve seat belt use in Tajikistan, an initiative delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Department of State Automobile Inspection (DSAI), and supported by the World Bank.
Previously, Road Police had to rely on a catch-all provision covering “other traffic offences,” which created uncertainty for officers and drivers alike. This new legislation lays the necessary legal foundations for automated enforcement of seat belt violations using Dushanbe’s existing network of 70 Smart City traffic cameras. A move towards automated enforcement in future could support significant improvements in driver and front seat passenger behaviour and compliance with seat belt regulations.
The project involved working with Young Generation of Tajikistan (YGT) to conduct an observational survey programme, the first of its kind in Tajikistan, tracking seat belt use across four regions of the country, covering approximately 36,000 vehicles and 87,500 occupants. In Khatlon Oblast, where the Road Police conducted high-visibility enforcement campaigns, driver seat belt use rose from 4% to 31%. In GBAO, driver compliance increased from 17% to 59%. These figures show substantial increases in seat belt use in areas where enforcement was most visible and provide a basis for further sustained progress.
The development of a tracking framework will allow government counterparts to conduct annual surveys, track progress, evaluate the impact of enforcement campaigns, and support evidence-based road safety decision-making over time.
The WHO estimates that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatality for front seat passengers by 40-50%. Therefore, sustained visible enforcement of this new legislation could increase seat belt use in Tajikistan, which has a very high road fatality rate.