The latest data collected from 1,750 units of traffic counters on Iranian highways show that the average hourly traffic on the roads grew by 0.8% this year during the Iranian New Year holidays (March 20-April 1).
Islamic Republic of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, has said in an announcement released on its website that the average road traffic per hour was 405 cars this year. The counters were set up on roads connecting cities and do not include cars that ply the roads inside the cities.
The Iranian New Year holidays, which last for 13 days, is the longest of the year. During this period, road trips peak, as most families take the opportunity to set out on vacations.
"During the holidays, the most and least busy days in terms of road traffic were March 25 and March 20 respectively," CEO of Iran's Roads Management Center Ali Akbar Ashouri said. On March 20, 338 cars averaged on the roads per hour while the same figure was 480 on March 25. Also, the provinces experiencing the most traffic were Alborz, Tehran, Mazandaran, Qazvin and Gilan.
The official added that the average speed recorded during this period was 82 kilometers per hour, down by 2 kph compared to the previous year. Furthermore, 9.8% of all commutes registered were pulled over for speeding.
Police Stats
As the Financial Tribune had reported earlier, every year, before the start of the Iranian New Year holidays, Traffic Police launches special programs to help facilitate safe travel and reduce accidents.
In a preventive measure this year, more than 100 surveillance cameras were increased on major roadways few weeks before families set out on road trips. According to the latest figures reported by the Traffic Police, 344 deaths were recorded during the first 12 days of the 13-day holiday. The data recorded by police only pertain to deaths at the scene of accidents. Many victims lose their lives after being transferred to the hospital or a few days after the accidents.
