Desperate driver leaving a note for the Police not giving him a ticket!
The Iranian government faces a major challenge: Traffic accidents represent a disproportionately high number of the country's fatalities. In the past, UN agencies, the World Bank and Iranian experts issued reports stating that accident rates and consequent deaths constituted a socioeconomic crisis in Iran. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in a report that Iran had the highest number of deaths caused by road accidents in the world. The relative improvement in the number of traffic deaths since 2005 is a consequence of a greater effort by the country’s traffic police to implement safety laws, including a compulsory use of helmets for motorcyclists.
The highest priority should be road design and infrastructure. Unfortunately, the previous administration was too focused on the quantitative growth of Iranian roads. However, there is a genuine need for qualitative improvement and intelligent design of roads and traffic points. The country has the knowledge and expertise to design and build quality roads — what is needed is adequate infrastructure budgets and thorough supervision of road construction projects. Diverse provinces could also possibly be allowed to develop their own strategies in road construction, as opposed to a centralized structure that implements projects from Tehran.
In line with the above effort, more and more municipalities have to be obliged to increase traffic safety features in their communities. Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been at the forefront of a national effort to make investments and improve safety conditions in Tehran. These efforts are positive but too fragmented. The government needs to offer incentives to municipalities to engage in such programs more actively and consistently.
