Animal-Vehicle Collisions in North of Iran: What's to Be Done?

Abstract

Introduction: Animal-vehicle accidents are a growing concern in many parts of the world not only because of its environmental consequences but also because of its economic and social costs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of accidents involving animals in Northern Iran. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the data of all animal-vehicle accidents which had occurred during 2014–2018 were obtained from the traffic police database. Results: According to the regression model, fatalities and injuries associated with animal-vehicle collisions on main roads were significantly lower than those on the secondary and rural roads (P < 0.001). The reports showed a significantly lower number of accidents on wet, slippery than the dry roads (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study reports on the high number of accidents involving animals in Guilan which lead to injuries and fatalities of both humans and animals. Importantly, the pattern of such accidents was found to be different from that of motor vehicle collisions, suggesting a model for changing human behavior and reducing accidents that involve animals.