Twelve times the global average, ranked first in the Middle East and second in Asia in terms of number of cars, one of the bottom countries in the world and the third leading cause of death in Iran; these are descriptions of the situation of car accidents in Iran. A situation that annually imposes nearly 800 billion tomans of financial damage and at least 17,000 deaths on the Iranian society.

Although car accidents annually kill or injure more than 25 million people worldwide, the casualties of these incidents in Iran (both deaths and lifelong injuries) are far beyond what is seen in other countries. For example, while car accidents are the ninth leading cause of death in the world, in Iran it ranks third and accounts for 30% of all deaths.

The situation of car accidents in terms of their human casualties in Iran is so dire that this country ranks among the bottom 10 out of 180 countries in terms of road safety and traffic. This lack of safety has turned car accidents

What do the statistics say?

Although the statistics regarding the victims and injuries of car accidents in Iran have been variable and different institutions present different statistics in some cases, what is clear is that the rate of car accidents in Iran and consequently, the number of injuries and deaths, is so high that a few thousand differences in the statistics do not question its accuracy and even accepting the lowest number does not diminish the severity of the tragedy.

To better understand the high rate of car accidents in Iran, it is enough to know that on average, five people lose their lives in these accidents every two hours, meaning 60 people daily and over 21,000 people annually. In February 2018, Siavash Sahat, the scientific secretary of the Iranian Society of Surgeons, stated: “In the past 20 years, over 402,000 people have lost their lives in car accidents in Iran.” He also referred to the “premature deaths” caused by these accidents, which have resulted in the loss of four

What is the cause of traffic accidents in Iran?

Negligence and lack of adherence to laws by drivers, substandard and unsafe roads, minimum safety of vehicles, or lack of appropriate technology in emergency services; these are the most common reasons that various groups involved in traffic accidents in Iran cite as the main causes of these tragic incidents. Drivers blame car manufacturers for producing faulty vehicles as the main culprit of traffic accidents; car manufacturers point to drivers’ recklessness and disregard for laws as the reason; the police reprimand both parties, and ultimately experts complain about the substandard roads.
This confusion in identifying the main factors contributing to traffic accidents in Iran is while research conducted in 2006 showed that the lack of specialized human resources as accident experts and the lack of scientific analysis of accidents are among the main reasons for the failure to reduce the number of traffic accidents in Iran (1).
However, it is possible to consider the role of the three main factors of human, vehicle, and environment in traffic accidents in Iran. Especially since statistics provided by

Human resources

The published statistics by officials and related institutions on traffic and driving accidents in Iran show that human factors, if not the main cause, play an extremely important role in the occurrence of driving accidents in Iran.

Dr. Siavash Sahat, the scientific secretary of the Iranian Society of Surgeons and a member of the Medical Academy, emphasized the role of drivers as human factors in the occurrence of accidents, stating: “Excessive speed with 22%, left deviation with 21%, negligence of the route with 20%, and failure to yield with approximately 17% are the most important major causes of accidents.”

In this regard, talking on the phone, not paying attention to speed limits, lack of care and concentration, fatigue and drowsiness, and states caused by alcohol and drugs, not maintaining a safe distance, and also reckless driving are violations that are often committed by drivers and lead to driving accidents.

In a study conducted in 2006, when an average of 9 people were

Car mechanic

One of the main reasons for accidents in Iran, especially those resulting in death or severe injuries for passengers, is the lack of safety standards in the production and technology of vehicles. This includes the lack of up-to-date technology in car production, the absence of warning equipment, lack of airbags, the use of non-standard alloy materials, and the disregard for safety measures in car production. According to statistics from the Traffic Police of the Law Enforcement Force, in the past 11 years, 34% of accidents resulting in death or severe injuries involved the use of Pride cars.

Kamal Hadianfar, the head of the Traffic and Driving Police, also criticized the unsafe nature of domestic cars in Iran, especially the Pride, for the increase in passenger fatalities in traffic accidents in September of this year. He stated, “We have repeatedly warned car manufacturers that a car like the Pride does not have adequate safety measures.” He also announced the intention of the Traffic Police to stop the registration of Pride

Environment worker

Road insecurity, lack of adherence to global standards in road design and construction, as well as road damage and lack of timely repairs are among the main factors known as the main causes of accidents in Iran.
A study conducted on accidents in Iran in 2006 shows that human and environmental factors (roads and highways) together account for nearly 50% of accidents in Iran (4).
Kamal Hadianfar, the head of traffic police of the law enforcement force, had also announced in September of this year that more than 3,000 accident-prone spots had been identified on Iran’s roads. He had also criticized the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development for not repairing these accident-prone roads, saying, “We do not know what excuse the government and the Ministry of Roads have for not taking action to address these accident-prone spots, but we believe that if these spots are completely addressed, the statistics of road accidents will significantly decrease.”
Narrow width, high traffic volume compared to

Footnotes:
1- Investigating the role of human factors in the occurrence and severity of road accidents based on LR and CART regression models, Alireza Pakgohar, Mahdese Khalili, Mahmoud Safarzadeh, Traffic Management Studies Quarterly, Summer 88
2- Same as above
3- Investigating the causes of accidents on highways (case study: inner-city highways of Isfahan), Ali Zangibadi, Gholamreza Shiran, Khairi Gashtil, Road Traffic Studies Quarterly, No. 17, Farvardin 91
4- Same as footnote 1.