Children under 10 years constitute 13% of road traffic fatalities in Iran, the national Traffic Police chief said.
General Kamal Hadianfar added that fatal car crashes claim an average of 46 innocent lives each day in the country, six of which are children below 10 years, YJC reported.
Pointing to a fresh bid to boost child safety on roads, Hadianfar added that a bill has been drafted by Majlis to make the use of booster seats in cars mandatory.
"The bill, which is proposed as an amendment to Traffic Offences Regulations, will become operational as soon as it is ratified by the Guardians Council," he said.
According to the bill, the police will crack down on offenders who endanger the lives of children by dangerous driving.
"Violators will be punished with cash fines and even prison sentences," he added.
The traffic police believe that fundamental changes should be introduced in automotive design and safety rules to ensure child safety on roads.
"To increase child safety, car seat makers should adjust their designs and products, and equip vehicles with special seats for children," he said.
Hadianfar called on people to participate in campaigns aimed at raising awareness about traffic safety.
“Public campaigns that stress adherence to traffic rules have helped improve Iranians’ driving culture,” he said.
Data released by the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization show that road accidents in the last Iranian year that ended in March cut short the lives of over 17,000 people, of whom 13% were kids under 10.
“The figures show 46 people lose their lives in road accidents daily. It is highly regrettable that six of these fatalities are kids under 10 years,” he said.
The report shows road accident deaths in the last fiscal year rose 1.2% compared to the year before.
According to the Traffic Police, sleep-deprivation and fatigue, speeding, wrong side overtaking, running a red light, cellphone use, text messaging and eating behind the wheel are the most serious driving distractions that lead to fatal crashes.
Additionally, the poor quality of roads and locally made vehicles have been repeatedly described as other major reasons for the unacceptably high death toll.
