ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN IRAQ: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCE-BASED LITERATURE.

The overall aim of this paper is to enrich the global highway safety knowledge by shedding light on the current status of road safety in Iraq. Iraq is one of the major mediumincome Arabic countries in which vehicular road transport is the essential means of mobility. Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in traffic accidents and injuries; this increase is expected to be as an intuitive result of the soaring motorization which in turned is expected to be a result of the boom in economy and population after 2003. Available evidence-based literature concerning status of traffic accidents in Iraq over the past decade (2005-2015) has been analytically reviewed. Such literature includes official statistics, traffic accident studies, and current highway safety policies and traffic laws. The discussion of the synthesis of evidence-based findings revealed several important points regarding aspects such as crash characteristics, occurrence, severity, and measures. The findings can be informative for researchers interested in studying highway safety in developing countries. Also findings can guide the government to achieve its national goal in minimizing accidents and injuries. The paper attains its significance from being the first paper among those available online with timescale, spatial coverage and analytical scope sufficient to consider the preset aim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]