An electronic police scheme has been launched in the country to monitor accidents after the Islamic Republic of Iran Police, aka NAJA, signed an agreement with the Central Insurance of Iran, according to the National Traffic Police chief.
General Kamal Hadianfar, added that smartification, which refers to the wider implementation of technological platforms, is on the agenda of NAJA, Mehr News Agency reported.
“In this regard, efficient measures have been taken, including the use of Iranian Sepehr tools,” he said.
Sepehr Tools Used by NAJA
Hadianfar said more than 9,000 Sepehr tools are being used by NAJA’s officers.
"With these tools, you can check the information related to the license holder, vehicle, technical inspection and even insurance policies,” he added.
The National Traffic Police chief stated that another effective measure in the field of smartification was that henceforth insurance companies will not issue a paper insurance policy and send the data to NAJA, which will only be accessible to police officers and used by Sepehr.
“The Sepehr tools will store information concerning stolen and confiscated cars,” he added.
Pilot Plan’s Implementation in Qom
Referring to the implementation of the Electronic Police Plan vis-a-vis accidents, the official said this plan has been operated as a pilot in Qom Province for eight months and its deficiencies are being removed.
“More than 20 trillion rials of damages related to counterfeit accident reports are estimated to have been eliminated with the implementation of this plan in the country,” he said.
Hadianfar noted that with the development of Sepehr tools, 80% of crimes are recorded and processed with these tools.
“The Sepehr tools allow traffic officers to access all the information about the vehicle and its owner,” he said.
The Electronic Police Plan will also help compile data concerning drivers’ safety records, road accidents and fatalities.
H1 Road Fatalities Climb by 9.6%
The death rate in road accidents in Iran climbed by 9.6% in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-Sept. 22, 2021), according to statistics released by the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization.
The data reveal that 8,644 people died in road accidents during the period, which show an increase compared with the year-ago period when road death toll was 7,889.
LMO’s charts indicate that men accounted for more than 80% of all fatalities, totaling 6,946 people.
City roads have taken 2,100 lives in crashes, 2% higher compared with the same period of last year. Charts also show that the mortality rate in intercity roads has seen a 10.8% rise year-on-year, reaching 5,823. The death toll has also increased on rural routes by 5.8%, reaching 564.
Fars led all provinces with 687 road deaths, followed by Tehran (582) and Khorasan Razavi (576).
A closer review indicates that the road fatality rate in Fars was up 17.4% compared with the death toll of 585 in the same period of last year. This makes it the most dangerous province in terms of road fatalities.
Similarly, figures in Khorasan Razavi show an 11.4% rise, as road deaths increased from last year’s 517 to 576. The death rate in Tehran registered a 2.2% decrease, from 595 a year ago to 582.
Ilam, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari and Qom provinces had the lowest rates with 51, 114 and 161 deaths respectively during the period.
Ilam and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces have respectively recorded a 35.5% and 5.3% rise in road deaths. The figure, however, declined by 26.7% in Qom Province.
Monthly comparisons also illustrate a 3.13% increase in road mortalities. During the month ending Sept. 22, 1,598 people lost their lives in car accidents, while the year-ago month figure was 1,550.
Recent Analysis
Earlier, General Hadianfar referred to a recent road analysis conducted by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, saying the country has over 5,200 accident-prone areas, 3,200 of which are on intercity roads and the rest in cities.
“In the first half of the current fiscal year, 11% of the total road crash fatalities have occurred in these high-risk areas,” he said.
“Despite the unrelenting efforts of traffic police and relevant officials, stringent driving rules, hefty penalties for lawless drivers, bigger and broader roads, new highways and underpasses, the dire situation remains unchanged and people continue to die in road mishaps.”
The National Traffic Police chief warned that sleep-deprivation, speeding, overtaking from the wrong side, running a red light, talking on cellphone, text messaging and munching behind the wheel, together with the low quality of vehicles and roads, are the main factors leading to road crashes.
“Loss of focus and distraction have been identified as the cause of 38% of car accidents,” he added.
Providing more details, Hadianfar said passengers accounted for 33% of the fatalities during the six months under review, followed by motorcyclists with 26%, drivers with 22% and pedestrians with 19%.
