Diyala traffic accidents kill 90 people since start of 2026

Shafaq News- Diyala

About 90 people were killed and more than 2,000 others were injured in traffic accidents across eastern Iraq’s Diyala province during the first four months of 2026, an official from the province’s Health Directorate told Shafaq News.

Faris Al-Azzawi, the directorate’s media chief, attributed the "high" number of incidents to excessive speeding, unsafe motorcycle and tuk-tuk driving, and failure to comply with traffic regulations.

Interior Ministry figures showed authorities collected 161.9 billion Iraqi dinars (about $124.5 million) in traffic fines during 2025 after registering 3.88 million violations nationwide, including around 1.1 million detected through electronic surveillance cameras.

Under Iraq’s 2019 Traffic Law, fines range from 50,000 dinars ($38.50) to 200,000 dinars ($153.80). Penalties are reduced by half if paid within 72 hours, while unpaid fines double after 30 days.

Members of Parliament’s Transport and Communications Committee have indicated that proposed amendments to the law have remained under review for more than 18 months. The changes include removing the automatic doubling of unpaid fines and adjusting penalties based on road conditions.

Read more: $1.2B traffic fix fails: Iraq seeks radical solution