Epidemiology of Vehicle Fire Fatalities of Road Traffic Injuries in Kerman Province, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Vehicle fires are one of the most important causes of fatalities in road traffic injuries (RTIs), but there are no accurate statistics about vehicle fire fatalities (VFFs) due to RTIs in Iran. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the Epidemiology of vehicle fire fatalities (VFFs) due to road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a researcher-made checklist was used to collect the required data from the files of RTI fatalities in the Kerman Legal Medicine Organization (KLMO), or coroner’s office. All reported victims of vehicle fires in the ten years from 2007 to 2017 were included in the study. The data were analysed using SPSS ver. 18, with p = 0.05 considered as the level of significance. RESULTS: The authors found 124 cases of vehicle fire fatalities in Kerman, with a mean age of 30.45 ± 12.41, of which 50% were in the 25-49 years age group. Most frequently, the victims were Iranian (91.9%), married (66.1%), self-employed (51.6%), and urban dwellers (79.8%), and had died because of burns (91.9%). In 46.8% of cases, the victims were the driver, and in the remaining 53.2%, they were the passenger of the crashed vehicle. Most frequently, vehicle fires occurred on extra-urban roads (90.3%), during spring (35.5 %) or summer (32.3%), due to a vehicle-to-vehicle collision (66.9%), between sedans (69.9%), and at night (63.7%). Most victims died at the scene of the incident (87.9%) and had been transferred to hospital by an ambulance (71%). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that car fires caused the death of young and middle-aged people. The authors suggest the implementation of preventative measures promoting car safety; establishing speed management; establishing laws governing driving, manufacturing and importation of vehicles; construction of safe roads; identifying accident-prone points; installing road warning signs; establishing more roadside stations; ensuring stricter police monitoring; and improving vehicle safety standards and public awareness about the risks of speeding.