Iran’s 12-year record for road fatalities broken with 20,000 deaths in 2023

The number of deaths from road accidents has reached a 12-year high in Iran, according to recent data from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (ILMO).

After a decade of steady decline, traffic fatalities began to rise again in the Iranian year 2021, with over 20,000 deaths reported in the last Iranian calendar year 2023 (March 21, 2023 – March 19, 2024).

Citing data from the ILMO, Etemad newspaper reported that around 20 years ago, the annual death toll from road accidents approached 28,000. Due to various interventions, this number was reduced to approximately 16,000 by 2020. However, the report noted that since 2021, traffic fatalities have been rising once more, now surpassing 20,000, a figure not seen since 2011, breaking a 12-year record.

Despite existing laws aimed at reducing traffic deaths, Etemad noted that the Iranian government had committed to reducing road fatalities by 10% annually. This goal, had it been met, would have brought the number of deaths down to fewer than 10,000 per year. However, the rising numbers have shown that this target has not been achieved.

On Saturday, Taymour Hosseini, the Chief of Iran’s Traffic Police, reported that last week, there were 264 fatal accidents in the country, resulting in 314 deaths at the scene. In addition, 8,156 injury-related accidents were recorded, with speeding, driver inattention, and loss of vehicle control identified as the primary causes.

Hosseini did not mention other widely referenced factors such as the poor quality of domestically manufactured vehicles and inadequate road conditions, which many experts cite as key contributors to Iran's high rate of road fatalities.

In 2022, Kamal Hadianfar, the former Chief of Traffic Police, acknowledged that there were 5,200 high-risk accident spots across the country, with 877 of them considered especially dangerous and in need of urgent improvement.

A substantial portion of Iran's road fatalities has been attributed to the quality of vehicles and the state of the country's roads. Around 90% of motorcycles and 40% of passenger cars are considered outdated, while parts of the public transportation fleet also suffer from wear and tear.

The ongoing rise in fatalities has raised concerns over the effectiveness of safety measures and road infrastructure improvements. Official estimates suggest that the economic impact of road accidents accounts for between 2% and 7% of Iran's GDP.

Experts warn that given the current upward trend in fatalities, the figure could increase further if urgent action is not taken.