LMO Reports Decline in Mazandaran Road Deaths
EghtesadOnline: Roads in the northern Province of Mazandaran reported 302 deaths from car accidents during the five months to August, marking a decline compared to the same period last year.
A recent report by the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) shows that road fatalities so far this year declined 9% compared to the 330 deaths last year, Asr-e Khodro news website reported.
The deaths on the roads in the northern regions mostly occurred on inter-city roads with 230 victims. Sari Road reported 51 deaths, Amol Road 49 while 30 people died after accidents on the main Babol roadway.
Fereidounkenar Road was the safest way leading to the crowded holiday resorts near the Caspian Sea with two reported deaths, Financial Tribune reported.
Mazandaran together with the adjacent Gilan and Golestan provinces, which are always referred to as 'Shomal' (Persian for north), are the main summer holiday destinations for Iranians from across the country. In recent years tourists from neighboring Arab countries also spend time in villas surrounded by lush green forests and near the Caspian coast.
The province has 340 kilometers of beaches and more than 500km of mountains plus 1.7 million hectares of forests and pasture.
The region's share in the total road fatalities is 4.2%. According to LMO, during the five months, 7,062 people lost their lives in car crashes throughout the country, marking a 1.7% rise compared to the corresponding period last year.
Mazandaran is far behind other major Iranian provinces in terms of road casualties. Fars (with 629 deaths), Tehran (514 deaths) and Khorasan Razavi (494 deaths) topped the list of provinces with the highest fatalities.
Sleep-deprivation (fatigue), speeding, overtaking from the wrong side, running a red light, talking on the cell phone, text messaging and munching behind the wheel are reported as the most serious driving violations leading to road mishaps.