Epidemiological Study of Fatal Road Accidents in Eastern Iran in a Five-year Period

Background: Road accidents are regarded as one of the most critical global health issues. In Iran, road accidents are the second cause of death, followed by cardiovascular diseases. The present study was conducted with the aim of the epidemiological evaluation of deaths caused by road accidents in Torbat Heydariyeh City, Iran, between ۲۰۱۳ and ۲۰۱۷.  Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which information on fatal road accidents recorded in the Forensic Medicine Organization of Torbat Heydariyeh City was collected from ۲۰۱۳ to ۲۰۱۷. Excel software was used to analyze the data. A total of ۳۱۱ fatal accidents have been reported in Torbat Heydariyeh from ۲۰۱۳ to ۲۰۱۷.  Results: The mean±SD age of the deceased was ۳۹.۵۵±۲۲.۷۱. Men accounted for ۶۹% of deaths. Most road accidents occurred in ۲۰۱۶ with a percentage of ۲۴%, most of which happened in the sixth month with a percentage of ۱۳%. Head injury in road accidents was reported as the main cause of death (۴۸%). ۱۳۰ of the dead were passengers (۴۲%). The type of vehicle used by victims of road accidents was motorcycles (۲۵%), and pedestrians (۱۸%).  Conclusion: Since fatal road accidents impose direct and indirect costs on society, intervention measures, such as repairing the roads on accident-prone roads, installing warning signs, defined fines, etc., should be taken to improve public health and prevent the increasing trend of accidents in Iran.