Increase in Traffic Fines in Iran; Government Claims: For 'Protecting the Lives of Passengers'

The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic government announced an increase in traffic fines, stating that the rise in fines is 'in line with inflation rates and the executive regulations of wages and salaries.' According to the government news agency IRNA, Ali Bahadori Jahromi claimed on Wednesday, April 8, in response to reporters at a cabinet meeting that this action was taken 'to preserve and protect the lives and health of passengers.' The government spokesperson referred to the increase in traffic fines as an 'update' and mentioned that this proposal had previously been raised by the 'Commander of the Police Force and some related agencies' and had been 'thoroughly reviewed in the government's legal and judicial commission' and 'will be announced soon.' Previously, on the first day of the new year, Timur Hosseini, the head of the traffic police, had announced that 'the rates of traffic fines would increase five or six times.' In response to this news, economic expert Reza Kashaf wrote on the social media platform 'X' that 'the daily announcement of the number of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents during Nowruz 1403 is merely a psychological operation to justify the five or six-fold increase in traffic fines' as a means of securing 'part of the budget for the police force.' Some users on social media pointed out the government's indifference to the requests of guilds, labor groups, and retirees for adherence to the law of equalization, stating that in cases related to their own revenue, the Islamic Republic officials 'talk about the law and equalizing fines with inflation rates.' Some users also emphasized the lack of 'road safety' and the dilapidation of vehicles and non-standard street asphalt while questioning the government spokesperson's claims. Earlier, on the last day of the previous year, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic, claimed that 'current fines are not deterrent' and announced that in the coming year 'we aim to implement encouragement and punishment as well as increase traffic fines.' The head of the traffic police announced that in the first week of Nowruz travels, until the morning of April 7, 510 passengers lost their lives due to road accidents. The annual statistics of fatalities from accidents in Iran have previously been estimated at around 17,000. According to some traffic officials in Iran, the actual figures are even higher than the officially announced numbers. Some experts attribute the high rate of road fatalities in Iran to the unsafe condition of a significant portion of vehicles, the lack of appropriate road standards, and unprofessional oversight of the transportation sector.