Schoolchildren renting cars, crashing, and dying: A deadly trend in Namangan

Another incident in Namangan

The latest incident occurred on April 15. According to footage shared on social media, a group of schoolchildren rented a Spark vehicle for several hours before crashing it. The video shows emergency responders arriving at the scene and providing first aid to the injured children.

The person who filmed the incident said the vehicle was rented through the Telegram group “Namangan yezda moshina” and called on authorities to intervene. As of now, the Namangan Traffic Police have not issued an official statement on the matter.

Children are dying

Traffic accidents involving schoolchildren in rented vehicles are becoming increasingly common in Namangan. Some of these incidents have resulted in serious injuries and even deaths.

For example, on April 2, 2025, a group of 9th-grade students in Davlatobod district was involved in a severe crash after renting a Nexia for 220,000 UZS. The car collided with a truck, and the teenagers were hospitalized in critical condition. One suffered a fractured skull, broken jaw, and leg fractures.

According to officials, the person who rented the car to the students had himself rented it from someone else. He charged the students 150,000 UZS, while an 11th-grade intermediary received 70,000 UZS. Following the accident, the car owner’s father and the truck driver publicly urged people not to allow minors behind the wheel.

On October 2, 2024, five schoolchildren rented a Gentra in Namangan city. While speeding down Margilan Street, they veered into the opposite lane, flew over a concrete divider, and crashed into a truck. Three teenagers died, and two others sustained serious injuries. The car owner had rented the vehicle to the underage group for 300,000 UZS.

An open, illegal “business”

In Namangan region, renting out cars illegally has turned into a business opportunity for those seeking easy money. Social media groups have been created specifically for this, with rental ads posted openly.

In the latest case, the students reportedly rented the Spark via the Telegram group “Namangan yezda moshina”, which features numerous posts offering cars for rent.

“120,000 UZS per hour”

We posed as an underage customer and contacted one of the advertisers in the Telegram group. The owner of a Spark quoted an hourly rate of 100,000 UZS for a manual and 120,000 UZS for an automatic version.

Despite knowing we were underage, the owner agreed to rent the car, only requesting to accompany us the first time.

Sadly, this blatantly illegal “business” that has already claimed children’s lives continues to thrive, with local authorities either turning a blind eye or choosing not to act.

Lenient punishments

One reason this “business” continues to flourish is the lack of strict legal consequences. Currently, there is no criminal liability for renting a car to a minor, even when it results in death.

Such actions fall under Article 135, Part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which penalizes individuals who allow unlicensed persons to drive a vehicle. The fine for this is merely five basic calculation units (BCU), which is relatively minimal.

In reality, handing over a vehicle to a minor with no legal right or driving skills shouldn't be treated as a petty administrative offense – it creates the conditions for a potential tragedy.

Unless Namangan police and traffic officials take serious steps to crack down on illegal car rentals, such heartbreaking accidents are likely to continue, and more children’s lives will be put at risk in exchange for profit.