Coffin on Two Wheels

“One of the strangest sights I saw in Iran was whole families—the father, mother and children—riding on motorcycles without taking any safety measures,” said a foreign football coach in an interview about his time working in Iran.

It might have been one of the strangest things the coach had ever seen, but for ordinary Iranians, this is a familiar sight.

For many families, a motorcycle is the only affordable means of transport, making it possible for them to move easily around town and to nearby towns or cities.

Iran imports around 800,000 motorcycles a year, mostly from China. According to the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (ILMO)— the national coroner’s office—between 2006 and 2012, close to 40,000 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents.

Statistics from the country’s 2011 census reveal that 23.8 percent of Iranian households own a motorcycle. With more than 21 million households across the country, it means that there is at least one motorcycle in more than five million households. The Census Bureau reported that the average size of an Iranian household is 3.55 people—so about 18 million Iranians use a motorcycle as their regular form of transport.

In autumn 2013, ILMO released statistics on road accidents. According to the report, during the period 2006-2012, motorcycle accidents accounted for 25.7 percent of all traffic casualties, with automobile accidents accounting for 34.6 percent. Most motorcycle-related fatalities occur because of collision with other vehicles, and the primary cause of death, at 61.2 percent, is head injuries, followed by compound fractures, at 19.7 percent. About 42 percent of people killed while riding a motorcycle die at the scene of the accident. The report attributes this largely to the fact that the majority of motorcyclists and motorcycle passengers do not take safety precautions such as wearing helmets.

More than 60 percent of those killed in motorcycle accidents were under 30 years old. Of this group, 34.1 percent were aged between 18 and 24; 15 percent were aged 30 to 39. The study showed a staggering difference between men and women—with men constituting 95.2 percent of those killed and women only accounting for 4.8 percent.

Among the victims who were 18 years or older, 24.7 percent had completed primary school education, 28.9 percent had finished junior high school, 17.5 percent had a high school diploma and 17 percent had no formal education. Among those, most worked at odd jobs or were laborers.

The ILMO report concluded the number of fatalities due to motorcycle accidents has remained largely consistent since 2006. Despite the high rate of motorcycle-related fatalities, large numbers of people—especially young men—continue to buy and ride motorcycles.

The main motive for riding a motorcycle is affordability. China exports sub-standard and low-quality motorcycles to Iran at very low prices.  In many cases, it’s the only vehicle many people can afford.

So while it’s normal to see people across Iran’s cities going from place to place by motorcycle, it comes with significant dangers. The visiting coach from abroad might have thought it “strange,” but for many, it’s the only way to get around town. 

Sahand Forouzesh, IranWire Citizen Journalist, Zanjan