Iranian media have reported a record-breaking number of road accident fatalities over the past decade. Citing the head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization, they stated that more than 20,000 people lost their lives in traffic accidents last year.
Abbas Masjedi, head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization, warned on Friday, January 3, that the rising number of road accident fatalities in the country is a “serious alarm bell.”
He stated: “Unfortunately, last year, for the first time in a decade, the number of fatalities from road accidents exceeded 20,000.”
Masjedi added: “This situation has been reported to decision-making centers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of fatalities from traffic accidents decreased to some extent, but last year, due to an increase in travel and the presence of unsafe roads and vehicles, the numbers rose again.”
Masjedi called for improving road and vehicle safety, as well as providing necessary public education to reduce the number of fatal accidents in Iran.
Siavash Mohebbi, deputy commander of Iran’s Road Police, announced on September 3, 2024, that, according to statistics, an average of 45 to 50 people die daily in traffic accidents in Iran, while another 1,000 people are injured.
He described the victims of traffic accidents as “casualties of poor-quality vehicles and roads” and noted that, on average, 100 of the injured suffer permanent disabilities, while 200 families experience severe income loss and poverty.
Mohebbi warned: “Unfortunately, in addition to human factors, some vehicles lack the necessary quality, and road infrastructure is also inadequate.”
He also identified speeding, reckless overtaking, lane deviations, fatigue, and drowsiness as major causes of traffic accidents in Iran.
An analysis of Legal Medicine Organization statistics shows that between March 21 and June 20, a total of 4,688 people died in road accidents across the country within just three months.
Timeline of Road Traffic Fatalities in Iran
In 2005 and 2006, the total number of road accident fatalities in Iran was around 28,000 per year.
In 2007, the number of fatalities dropped by approximately 17% to around 23,000 and remained at this level in 2008 and 2009.
In 2010, another 10% reduction brought the number of road traffic fatalities down to around 21,000.
In 2011, the number of traffic accident fatalities nationwide reached 20,000.
In 2012, the downward trend continued, with the death toll dropping to 19,000.
The declining trend in road accident fatalities persisted throughout the 2010s, reaching an annual death toll of around 16,000 between 2015 and 2017.
In 2020, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nationwide road accident death toll reached its lowest point at 15,396.
From 2021 onward, the number of road accident fatalities began rising again: in 2021, the death toll reached approximately 17,000, and in 2022, it increased to 19,490.
The 20,045 fatalities recorded in 2023 mark an unprecedented high since the early 2010s, setting a new record.
