During the first six months of the current year that started on March 20, the number of traffic fatalities decreased by 3% compared to the same period last year, said Iran’s Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, on Friday. Earlier, Musa Amiri, deputy traffic police chief had stated that 16,500 people lost their lives in traffic accidents during the previous year, ISNA reported. Iran has one of the highest rates of road accidents in the world. Annually, thousands of people are killed and maimed in road accidents, mostly due to violation of traffic rules such as over speeding, with men comprising 75% of the figure.
