The Iraqi Forensic Medicine Department of the Ministry of Health announced that nearly 400 fatalities occurred due to traffic accidents in the country over the past six months, with most of the victims being men. Abdul Wahab Issam, the director of the Mortuary Department, stated in a statement that "the number of traffic accidents, according to forensic statistics, recorded 384 fatalities, including approximately 61 female bodies received from investigative and judicial authorities, which were divided between rollover accidents, traffic accidents, and collisions."
He noted that "injuries from traffic accidents are highly severe and comparable to other forms of homicide, as they pose a concern and anxiety for all members of society." It is worth mentioning that the issue of traffic accidents in Iraq is one of the leading causes of human losses in the country over recent years, surpassing the casualties from terrorist operations and violence by several multiples. Observers attribute this to the dilapidated and old roads, a lack of warning signs, and drivers' failure to comply with safety measures on external roads.
The number of traffic accidents in 2023 saw a slight increase compared to 2022, with 11,552 recorded last year compared to 11,523 the previous year.
