Spanning the nation: a spatial investigation of traffic accidents during Iran’s Nowruz holidays
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21138/GF.909Resumo
Particularly in low- and middle-income countries with varied geographic and infrastructure conditions, road safety during high-travel times presents a major public health issue. Over seven years (2017–2023), this study examines the spatiotemporal trends of road traffic accidents in Iran during Nowruz, a significant holiday marked by millions of travels. Using advanced spatial analysis methods, including global Moran's I and local Getis-Ord Gi*, the study identifies and evaluates accident hotspots all around the country. Results show ongoing high-risk areas in northern and eastern provinces caused by factors such as tourism, challenging geography, and poor infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially altered traffic and accident patterns, reducing total accident counts while increasing fatalities due to higher speeding rates under low traffic conditions. The study offers nuanced insights into regional safety disparities by including accident frequency and cluster density into a scoring system. This approach highlights provinces where concentrated hazards exist despite relatively low accident counts. These findings highlight the need of customized, spatially informed safety interventions and provide policymakers a framework for optimizing resource allocation during peak travel periods.
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