Death Carriages

Despite a slight decrease in road accidents in Iran in recent years, the country currently ranks second in the world for road fatalities among 190 countries. A report highlighted by Mehr News Agency indicates the high rate of accidents and fatalities in Iran. The high statistics mean that the Central Insurance Research Institute of Iran has reported that Iran ranks 189th out of 190 countries, following Sierra Leone, which has the highest rate. The report states that the death toll is so high that it is comparable to the casualties of a severe earthquake or a full-scale war. The World Bank has also described the situation of road accidents in Iran as critical in a study related to damages and insurance. However, what will happen to the injured, both temporarily and permanently, how will insurance play a role, and how will damages be compensated? According to this report, road accidents also have significant economic costs for the country. Radio Farda has sought the views of Homayoun Zarghani, editor of the Transportation Industry Magazine in Tehran, on this matter: Homayoun Zarghani: 'The United Nations predicts that by 2020, road fatalities in developing countries will increase by 65 to 80 percent. However, this statistic will decrease for developed and industrialized countries by that year. The situation in Iran is different. Iran is a country with a transit nature and a vast network of roads and rural paths, and road accidents, as reported by the research institute, cause approximately 19 trillion tomans in damages to the Iranian national economy annually, consuming about 4 percent of the gross national income. What factors contribute to road accidents? Human factors, roads, worn-out and uninspected vehicles, structural weaknesses in accidents, and perhaps even insufficient control by traffic police. Homayoun Zarghani, editor of the Transportation Industry Magazine in Tehran: 'The main reason for accidents on Iranian roads is high speed. Every accident occurs in a chain. If the links of the chain are not properly identified, that accident will repeat. If a road is under repair or if warning signs are insufficient on the road, and the driver has not received the necessary training and is speeding, the likelihood of an accident increases significantly. Another factor is the vehicles. Many vehicles do not have adequate safety features, and accidents occur due to the absence of airbags or ABS brakes. Errors are inevitable. However, technologies have come to help minimize these errors. These technologies have manifested in vehicles and also on roads, which can be equipped with new technologies known as ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems). These systems include violation cameras that can analyze a driver's violations throughout their journey, including speed and traffic behavior. In some Western countries, the number of vehicles exceeds that of Iran, yet the accident rates are only one-hundredth of those in Iran. There are many accidents caused by driver impairment or other issues like strokes. Homayoun Zarghani: '90 percent of drivers always consider themselves skilled individuals capable of controlling their vehicles in all conditions. This belief is common among all drivers. However, there is a deterrent factor that holds you back, and that is a good vehicle. We have a historical pathology; since cars entered Iran, their culture did not come with them. It took a long time to establish. This is manageable. We have a discussion called public traffic education, which has standards defined by the United Nations. Currently, the management of accidents and safety has been assigned to the World Health Organization, which has very specific guidelines. This is traffic behavior education. If we establish this, it can control accidents. When the Tohid Tunnel was opened, terrible accidents occurred. This was due to poor traffic behavior by drivers. However, when cameras were installed and speed limits were set, accidents decreased. When the Sadr Bridge, a two-level bridge in Tehran, began to bear traffic loads, third-generation cameras were installed from the start. Not a single accident occurred; no vehicle fell from the bridge. We need to control driver behavior with ITS or smart transportation. Technologies have emerged that allow vehicles to communicate with the road, meaning they can reduce driver errors. According to forensic statistics, over 11,000 people died in road accidents in the first seven months of 1392 (2013). More precisely, about 54 people die daily. 204,741 people were also injured in accidents during this period. In this context, a bus overturning near the city of Savadkuh left 11 dead. 47 'luxury accident-causing' vehicles were seized in Tehran in one night. 25 Iraqi tourists were killed in a bus accident on the Chalus road. Dozens were killed; the statistics of road fatalities in Iran in the past 24 hours.