TEHRAN – Two human errors have contributed to 60 percent of road crashes occurred in the country during the Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 21-April 20), Nader Rahmani, a senior traffic police official has said.

Distracted driving and failing to yield the right of way to other vehicles were the major causes of road accidents happened in the country during the first month of spring, he explained.
Driving at an unsafe speed by 10 percent, reckless lane changes by 5 percent and wrong way driving by 4 percent and failure to control the vehicle by 3 percent have contributed to car crashes in the past month, he further explained.

During New Year traffic scheme, a peak travel time for Iranians from March 16 to April 5, some 862 lost their lives in car crashes. While the number of traffic-related deaths decreased by 22.3 percent compared to the same period last year the number is still pretty high for a 20-day holiday. 

Every year the lives of approximately 1.35 million people worldwide are cut short as a result of a road traffic crash, WHO reports. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury.

Road traffic injuries cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families, and to nations as a whole. These losses arise from the cost of treatment as well as lost productivity for those killed or disabled by their injuries, and for family members who need to take time off work or school to care for the injured. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.

WHO highlights that road traffic injuries can be prevented. Governments need to take action to address road safety in a holistic manner. This requires involvement from multiple sectors such as transport, police, health, education, and actions that address the safety of roads, vehicles, and road users.

Effective interventions include designing safer infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport planning, improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes, setting and enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising public awareness.
FB/MQ/MG