Thousands Annually Killed in Car Crashes on the Unsafe Roads in Iran

 Sunday, November 13, 2016 10:40:39 AM


By: Kaveh Taheri



                                                                         Photo credit by Google.


Traffic-related fatalities are the leading cause of death in Iran, say officials. 90% of road-traffic deaths in the world happen in low-income and middle-income countries, reports World Health Organizations.The rate of road accidents in Iran is twenty times more than the world's average; an individual killed in car crashes every 19 minutes and cost the country's economy billions of dollars.

 

16,500 traffic-related death cases and 313 injured have reported last year via HRANA. At least 180 people died and more than 2000 injured in car crashes on late August, via HRANA quoting Mehr News. In a report by Tasnim News, at least 470 traffic-related cases reported in first of September in 2016.

315 thousand and 264 citizens have been killed in Car accidents on roads across the country within the past 14 years ago, via Mashregh News quoting Iran Forensics office last year. At least 7,290 citizens, including 5,587 men and 1,702 women, killed in car crashes in the first five months in 2015, according to the report. 4,754 people killed in accidents on the unsafe freeways, 1,959 individuals killed in urban roads, and 576 others killed in rural roads, says the office.

255 car crashes result in 9 dead people and 144 injured in several roads across the country on October 30, 2016, reports IRNA.




According to the statistics, car crashes daily result in financial loss amounting to at least $1000 million USD. Iran ranked 189 between 190 countries in terms of car crashes and unsafe driving, Khabar Online reports from police chief.



Traffic-related deaths on the rise by 2% across the country, Mehr News quoting police chief.



5,801 citizens killed in car crashes on roads across the country in the first quarter of 2014 that the number is as much as American veterans' were killed during 2003 invasion to Iraq, according to state-run news IRNA. Traffic-related death rate on Izeh raods in Khuzestan province are more than Russia-Georgia or Iraq-Kuwait Wars, says an MP.

300 people killed in car crashes on Behnamir-Babol road also known as "Death Road" in the past 24 years. Azizak village, Mazandaran province with 100 families and 5,200 population is located nearby the road and officials have closed their eyes on the village's difficulties, Fars News reports from the head of village council.

At least 3,400 unsafe roads causing deadly accidents reported across the country, says IRNA. 26% of traffic-related deaths belong to cyclists in 2016, via ILNA quoting police chief; over 60% of those happen because the motorcyclists didn't wear helmet.45 percent of traffic-related deaths belong to cyclists and pedestrians, acknowledges  IRNA. Rain and slippery roads caused 70 car crashes in Hamadan city in less than 24 hours, reports IRNA.

Annually, road-traffic accidents kill nearly 17,000 citizens in the country and 300 thousands injure or disable due to unsafe roads, non-standard cars and unauthorized speed or careless driving, via Khabar Online quoting traffic police chief. 

Road traffic accidents are not exactly predictable but can be prevented. Iran police officials address key issues which can be effective on traffic safety including those that mentioned with; authorized speed, wearing seat-belt, child restraints (child seats), wearing helmet, improving road designs and stablishing traffic signs.

Many reports indicate that hundreds of car crash victims die before they reach emergency services because of insufficient emergency services such as fire, medical or police services. Unfortunately, Iran regime are not much interested in spending adequate budget for improving infrastructure of traffic facilities and emergency services. After lifting the sanctions on Iran's regime, despite unblocking Iran money (the frozen Iranian assets as a result of sanctions) from the west there is not any evidence of investment of the millions of cash in country's economy or industrial infrastructures.