TEHRAN — Traffic police chief Taqi Mehri has said some half a million police and relief forces will stand on guard during Norouz holidays to fully enforce traffic regulations and provide relief and health services.

Norouz holidays start prior to March 21, the onset of the new Iranian calendar year.

Mehri said police forces and patrols are fully ready to monitor road regulations through “the Noruz special traffic scheme”.

The special traffic scheme goes into force March 18 to April 4 across the country.

Mehri went on to say that the number of vehicles plying the roads and streets in Iran have increased from 7.5 million in 2006 to some 21 million in 2017. Also, a willingness to travel have more than doubled compared to the past decade.

Some 3,500 ambulances, 24 helicopters and 570 relief and rescue bases will provide service to travelers during Noruz, said head of Rescue and Relief Organization Morteza Salimi.

Noruz holidays is the best time for many Iranians to take a trip across the country. Careless driving combined with substandard vehicles still take considerable tolls among travelers.

Last year some 250 citizens lost their lives and 22,000 got injured during the Norouz holidays.

Although the number of road crashes has greatly decreased over the recent years, it is still too far from the ideal.

It seems that more measures should be taken to instill the true culture of driving among drivers and it is rational to invest more on kids who will hold car steering wheel any time soon.

MAH/MQ/PA