The mortality tolls of (death roads) is close to those of serious diseases: religious authority warns

The representative of the supreme religious authority, Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, expressed concern about the statistics of the Iraqi Ministry of Health regarding the number of deaths and disabilities caused by the so-called "death roads".

Al-Karbalai said in the Friday’s sermon held at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein "pbuh" on August 2, 2019, that "The number of traffic accidents caused by the so-called (death roads) in some governorates, are worrying due to statistics recorded by the Ministry of Health and traffic departments for the number of deaths and disabilities."

"The statistics of death tolls due to traffic accidents are close to those caused by serious diseases, which is disturbing and unfortunate thing" he added.

The representative of the supreme religious authority noted that "These accidents add another numbers to the list of orphans and widows, not to mention that some of the victims are higher education graduates in the fields of knowledge and sciences."

Al-Karbalai addressed the concerned parties and citizens, that "There are many complaints about these (death roads), especially the ones linking the main governorates," expressing regret for the negligence practiced against these roads for a long time, which led to an increase in the number of accidents on yearly basis.

He also called on the concerned parties, ministries and provincial councils to give adequate funds and attention to these roads, as well as to provide an engineering effort to ensure proper implementation and effective performance," noting that "It is not an easy thing to lose thousands of citizens every year because of these roads".

"There are a lot of safety measures that aren’t implemented, which leads to the loss of thousands of lives," he added, noting that "The driver must be aware that they are religiously, patriotically, and morally responsible for the for the safety of themself and others. Otherwise, they are risking their lives and the lives of other citizens."

The representative of the supreme religious authority pointed out that "Citizens in many countries of the world take great care on following the safety measures for the sake of their safety and the safety of others, which ultimately resulting in fewer rates of accidents".

Al-Karbalai has concluded with urging the traffic departments to pay more attention to strictness in the implementation of safety measures and to keep on granting driving licenses and other important permits contribute to the safety of citizens.