Road accidents to blame for rising number of disabled in Kurdistan

SULAIMANI, November 30 — In recent years, nearly all new registrants with the Kurdistan Disabled Union (KDU) have reported disabilities as a result of traffic accidents, reflecting a worrying trend in dangerous road incidents.

Saman Hussein, President of the KDU, told 964, “I can say 99.99 percent of the newly registered members with KDU have suffered from car accidents.”

The severity of the issue is affirmed by a study conducted by Sulaimani University, revealing the annual cost of traffic accidents in Sulaimani alone amounts to approximately $10 million.

Younis Ali, an economist and professor at Sulaimani University, stated, “From 2003 to 2019, the cost of accidents in Sulaimani governorate surged by 13 percent, with estimated annual losses ranging between $8-10 million.”

The Sulaimani Traffic Directorate reported 791 traffic accidents in the first nine months of this year alone.

Bahman Abdullah, spokesperson for Sulaimani’s traffic office, disclosed that these accidents resulted in 116 fatalities and 2,924 injuries, underscoring the persistently escalating toll on lives and well-being.