Planning ministry figures
Iraq reports more than 3,000 traffic fatalities in 2023
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Planning reported Sunday that more than 3,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2023, almost exactly the figure for 2022. Officials cited driver error as the primary cause of the majority of these incidents.
Abd Zahra Al-Hindawi, the ministry’s spokesperson, noted that the total number of traffic accidents recorded last year was 11,552. This includes 3,262 fatal accidents, constituting 28.2% of the total, and 8,290 non-fatal accidents, or 71.8%. These incidents occurred across all governorates except the Kurdistan Region, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.3% from 2022’s total of 11,523 accidents.
The accidents led to 3,019 fatalities, including 2,472 males and 547 females, representing a slight decrease of 0.1% compared to the 3,021 fatalities reported in 2022.
The ministry also recorded a decrease in injuries, with 12,314 people injured in 2023, down 2.9% from 12,677 in 2022. Collisions were the most common type of accident, accounting for 56.4% of cases, followed by pedestrian-related incidents, rollovers, and other types of accidents.
“September recorded the highest number of accidents with 1,165 incidents, followed closely by October and November,” the ministry stated. “The remaining months accounted for 72% of the total accidents last year.”
Al-Hindawi highlighted that the majority of accidents occurred on main roads, with highways, secondary roads, and rural roads also seeing significant numbers.
The ministry’s analysis pointed to driver error as the cause of 79% of the accidents, with vehicle issues, road conditions, and other factors, including pedestrian and passenger behavior, also contributing to the toll.
Despite the high rate of accidents attributed to driver negligence, such as speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving, issues such as conflict, neglect, and endemic corruption have severely impacted Iraq’s infrastructure, leaving many roads and bridges in poor condition.