Road traffic injuries and associated mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Background:Road traffic accidents are a major public health problem globally, causing millions of injuries, deaths and disabilities, and a huge loss of financial resources, especially in low- and middle-income countries.Aim:To determine the incidence of road traffic injuries and associated mortality from 1997 to 2020 in the Islamic Republic of Iran.Methods:This retrospective study used data from the Legal Medicine Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran to estimate the annual rates of road traffic injuries and associated mortality from 21 March 1997 to 20 March 2020. The data were analysed using STATA version 14 and the annual rates are reported per 100 000 population.Results:During the study period, 5 760 835 road traffic injuries and 472 193 deaths were recorded in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mortality rate increased from 22.4 per 100 000 in 1997 to 40 per 100 000 in 2005 and decreased to 18.4 per 100 000 in 2020. The injury rate increased from 111.1 per 100 000 in 1997 to 394.9 per 100 000 in 2005. It decreased in 2006 and 2007 and increased from then until 2010, finally reaching 331.8 per 100 000 in 2020. The male to female ratio for road traffic mortality was 3.9 in 1997 and 4.6 in 2020. The case fatality rate was highest (20.1%) in 1997 and decreased to 5.6% in 2020.Conclusion:Continuous interventions are needed to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries and associated mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Safety Evaluation of the Lighting at the Entrance of a Very Long Road Tunnel: A Case Study in Ilam

BACKGROUND: At the entrance of a tunnel, reflection of sunlight from the surrounding environment and a lack of adequate lighting usually cause some vision problems. The purpose of this study was to perform a safety evaluation of lighting on a very long road in Ilam, Iran. METHODS: The average luminance was measured using a luminance meter (model S3; Hagner, Solna, Sweden). A camera (model 108, 35-mm single-lens reflex; Yashica, Nagano, Japan) was used to take photographs of the safe stopping distance from the tunnel entrance. Equivalent luminance was determined according to the Holliday polar diagram. RESULTS: Considering the average luminance at the tunnel entrance (116.7 cd/m²) and using Adrian's equation, the safe level of lighting at the entrance of the tunnel was determined to be 0.7. CONCLUSION: A comparison between the results of the safe levels of lighting at the entrance of the tunnel and the De Boer scale showed that the phenomenon of black holes is created at the tunnel entrance. This may lead to a misadaptation of the drivers’ eyes to the change in luminance level at the entrance of the tunnel, thereby increasing the risk of road accidents in this zone.