Road Infrastructure Improvement Essential

Around 50,000 people lost their lives in road accidents over the last three years in the country.

“While the number has dropped by 38% over the past decade (from 27,000 deaths in 2005 to 16,500 in 2016), it is still very high,” says General Mohammad Hussein Hamidi, the national Traffic Police chief.

Many of the accidents can be attributed to human error and poor quality of domestically-produced vehicles. “Structural faults of roads are another major factor for a considerable number of deaths,” IRNA quoted him as saying.  

So far, police have identified as many as 3,200 ‘dangerous spots’ on the country’s roadways that are most prone to vehicular mishaps.

In the past three years, more than 5,300 people lost their lives in road mishaps at these dangerous spots.

“We need $270 million (10,000 billion rials) to remove the faults in the high-risk spots to be able to reduce the number of road accidents,” Hamidi added.

Conducting regular technical surveys of risky roads and setting right the structural faults can be the key to help save precious lives behind the wheel.  Lack of proper sign boards, poor lighting and visibility at crossroads also contribute to traffic accidents. The annual cost of traffic accidents in Iran is said to be $4 billion.

 More Surveillance Cameras

The Traffic Police is trying to enhance punitive measures for traffic violations like cancellation of driving licenses of frequent offenders.

In the past two years, 2,200 new surveillance cameras were installed to monitor 30,000 km of arterial suburban roads from the previous 5,000 km.

Surveillance cameras can record seven different types of violations (5 types in cities and 2 on suburban roads).

Additionally, cameras installed on the two main northern roadways of Chalus and Haraz, record overtaking from the wrong side and other deviations by drivers.

 “More cameras will be installed on the main highways before the start of Norouz (Persian New Year) holiday season (March 20-April 2),” which is the busiest and the most congested travel period across the country, said Hamidi.

By the end of the sixth five-year economic development plan (2017-2022), it is expected that 6,000 more surveillance cameras will be installed on all roads.

Smart cameras have also been placed on police car patrols in city streets which monitor violations and penalize offenders.

Most of the surveillance cameras in the urban areas have been upgraded to record five offenses: over speeding, running the red light, entering prohibited areas, entry into even-odd restricted zones and stopping on a zebra crossing. On suburban main roads, they record excessive speed and motorists’ failure to pay toll.

 High Death Toll

An average, 3,000 deaths in road mishaps occur every day around the world and they are ranked as the 11th most common cause of mortality in developing countries, with young people between the age of five and 24 facing the highest risk.

Low and middle income countries have less than half of the world’s vehicles, but they contribute to over 90% of the total number of road traffic deaths.

According to figures released by World Atlas in September 2016, Iran is ranked 4th on the list of countries with the highest road traffic deaths.