Assad Karim, a spokesperson for the Erbil General Traffic Directorate, told Kurdistan 24 in June that the number of car accidents is growing at an alarming rate each year in the Kurdistan Region.
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According to 2018 data, in the autonomous region’s capital of Erbil alone, 1,384 traffic accidents occurred, resulting in the death of 262 people and injury of 1,401 more.
Karim said a major cause for traffic violations and accidents is the lack of awareness among drivers, especially the disregard of traffics rules and laws.
However, poor road quality, as well as inadequate traffic laws, have also been blamed.
As part of its agenda, the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet plans to renovate and construct two-lane roads linking provinces and large cities in the Kurdistan Region with construction already underway in some places.