, who said: “Every year, 23,500 people lose their lives to road accidents in Iran and we have an additional 221,000 casualties. According to the statistics, for every 100,000 people the casualty figure is 38.28. Among the cities, Tehran has the highest rate equal to 2,800 dead due to road accidents.” Eskandar Momeni, head of the Road Police, told the ISNA news agency last year: “Iran ranks first in the world in road accidents… Considering the accidents, in recent years, Iran has always occupied the top ranks among nations and these accidents have caused many deaths.” Momeni also alluded to the incompetence of the medical aid system: “Around 50% of those killed in accidents lose their lives on the way to the hospital and half of the 19,000 killed in the current road accidents lost their lives on the way to medical centers.”