Vahid Nowbahar

Health - Iran (Maghreb and Middle East)

According to the Iranian Transportation Organisation, more than 15,000 Iranians die each year in traffic accidents, while another 87,000 are injured. The main causes of the 200,000 traffic accidents that occur in Iran each year include badly maintained vehicles, poor emergency health services and a flagrant disregard for road safety. As a medical practioner, Nobahar Vahid has been shocked by the needless loss of life which he witnesses each day on Iran's roads.

"Road traffic injuries are neglected because they have been seen as accidents or random deaths, but these deaths represent a major loss of human resources and productivity," he says. "In Iran, road crash victims occupy up to 10 per cent of hospital beds".

Nobahar has become involved in two youth-focused projects: Healthy Young 2010 and Safety Roads. He aims to educate drivers about road safety, including the dangers of speeding and hopes to encourage drivers to use seatbelts and child restraints to prevent injuries and death.

Nobahar hopes that OIYP2004 will help him develop grassroots communications strategies to help spread his road safety message. He also plans to lobby the government for better road planning and emergency health services.