Rouhani's Directive for Revising Road Safety Guidelines for Student Camps

One day after the overturning of a bus carrying schoolgirls in Fars province, which resulted in 44 casualties, and following a member of the Education and Research Commission's emphasis on 'issuing a mandatory regulation' to prevent nighttime road trips, Hassan Rouhani ordered a revision of the guidelines related to educational camps. Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of the President's Office, announced on Saturday, September 2, that Rouhani instructed the Minister of Education to revise these guidelines. According to Vaezi, the Iranian President has directed the Minister of Education to 'coordinate with relevant agencies and promptly revise the guidelines related to student camps and their associated transportation to ensure that travel by public transport, timing, and routes are conducted based on the highest safety standards.' This news came hours after the head of the Traffic Police proposed drafting guidelines for student camps. According to ISNA news agency, Taghi Mehri, the head of the Traffic Police, stated in a press conference early Saturday that the Ministry of Education must plan new methods for sending students. He said, 'We have implemented such measures for the 'Road to Light' trips and suggest that the Ministry of Education, in coordination with the police and other relevant agencies, draft the guidelines for student camps to prevent such incidents from happening again.' In response to a question about whether a nighttime travel ban could be imposed for student camps, he said, 'This issue requires a guideline that the Ministry of Education must draft, and such a matter can certainly be considered.' At four o'clock in the morning on Friday, September 1, a bus carrying middle and high school girls overturned in Darab County, Fars. Iranian media reported that the number of fatalities from this incident was '9', stating that seven schoolgirls, one driver, and a supervisor lost their lives. Hassan Noori, the deputy of the country's emergency services, also announced that two of the injured in this incident suffered 'amputations' and two others had 'spinal cord injuries.' These students were residents of Rudan and Minab counties in Hormozgan province, intending to participate in the 'National Farzanegan' camp in Shiraz. This incident received widespread attention, and several government officials and members of parliament issued messages calling for accountability for those responsible. Some social media users mentioned that student camp buses typically travel at night to save costs on accommodation. On the same day as the incident, Fatemeh Saidi, a member of the Education and Research Commission, stated in an interview with ISNA, 'The first issue is why it was planned for the bus carrying students to be on the road at midnight? The distance between Hormozgan and Fars provinces is such that with a little planning, they could have sent the students during the day when the risk of an incident is lower.' She added, 'If the Ministry of Education is unable to issue a mandatory regulation in this regard, members of parliament are ready to pursue this matter. Nighttime road travel for student camps must be discontinued. If they cannot plan in a way that students are not on the roads at midnight, they should clearly state so that alternatives can be considered.' She also mentioned, 'I just spoke with the Minister of Education over the phone and asked for a precise and comprehensive guideline for educational camps to be drafted once and for all, with any violations facing serious penalties. We cannot witness such incidents every year and blame everything on the road and vehicles.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Bat'haei, the Minister of Education, visited Darab hours after the incident. He announced that a report on this incident would be submitted to the government. He added, 'Undoubtedly, with reforms in the process of holding student camps, it is possible to reduce such incidents.' The Supreme Road Safety Commission identified the cause of the bus overturning as veering off the road due to reasons including 'driver drowsiness or avoiding a collision with an oncoming vehicle.' This commission reported on Saturday, September 2, that after the bus collided with 'the bridge curb and a front tire burst,' control was lost by the driver, and after 100 meters, it overturned on its side. The Supreme Road Safety Commission stated that the road and its signs were 'appropriate' and the bus was traveling at 86 kilometers per hour. According to this report, the passengers on this bus did not use seat belts during the trip. Mohammad Hossein Hamidi, the head of the Traffic Police, stated on Friday regarding the reasons for this incident that the bus 'collided with the bridge base due to driver fatigue and drowsiness.' Meanwhile, Mohsen Mousavi, the head of the judiciary in Darab County, stated that the other driver of this bus, who survived, 'is physically healthy and has been arrested, and a legal case has been opened to investigate various aspects of this incident.' Mohsen Mousavi also announced that 'a legal case has been opened to investigate various aspects of this incident.' Taghi Mehri, the head of the Traffic Police, also mentioned that experts from the Traffic Police are investigating the cause of this incident, adding that their findings indicate that the driver's negligence due to fatigue and drowsiness caused the bus to overturn. The head of the Traffic Police clarified that while it has been claimed that the driver stated he was not drowsy, the bus's data is recorded in the Sepahdan system, and there are even images showing that the driver was drowsy while driving; however, judicial authorities are currently investigating this matter. Mehri emphasized, 'According to our investigations, the mentioned bus had a co-driver, its speed was within the legal limit, and it had no technical issues.' He further noted that if the Ministry of Education intends to implement a guideline in this regard, the police will also comply, but currently, there is no prohibition on nighttime travel for vehicles. In recent years, dozens of students participating in school camps have died in traffic accidents. For instance, in 2012, in an accident involving a bus heading to the war zones of the Iran-Iraq war, known as 'Road to Light,' 26 schoolgirls from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province lost their lives. Last year, a bus carrying students from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province overturned on its way back from Mashhad, resulting in the deaths of two students. Iran is one of the world's most accident-prone countries in terms of driving. According to a report published by the Central Insurance Research Institute of Iran, among 190 countries, Iran has the second-highest road mortality rate after Sierra Leone. In recent years, approximately 17,000 people have been killed annually in road accidents, and about 300,000 have been injured. Law enforcement officials report that the number of fatalities in traffic accidents in the 80s was around 27,000 annually, and this figure has decreased in recent years. Masoud Habibi, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Youth Organization, previously stated that road accidents add 100 people to the number of disabled individuals across the country daily. Meanwhile, Hassan Hashemi, the Minister of Health, stated on Friday, April 11, that the number of traffic accident fatalities in Iran 'exceeds the total number of fatalities from the war in the region.' According to the Iranian Insurance Syndicate, during the 21 days of this year's Nowruz travels, 874 people were killed, and the compensation for the deceased alone cost insurance companies 183 billion tomans.