en حوادث ترافیکی traffic accidents پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><span style="line-height:2;"><b>Background:</b> Road traffic accidents (RTAs) impose a substantial health and economic burden globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Given the recent resurgence of RTA-related mortality in Iran, accurate local-level monitoring is essential for effective health policy. This study aimed to estimate the burden of RTA-related premature mortality in Mazandaran province using the Years of Life Lost (YLL) index in 2023.<br> <b>Methods:</b> This population-based, retrospective cross-sectional study utilized mortality data from the Mazandaran Forensic Medicine Organization and the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences registries. YLL was calculated by multiplying the number of deaths at each age by the standard life expectancy at that age, based on GBD methodology, without age-weighting or time discounting. Data were stratified by age and gender to identify high-risk populations.<br> <b>Results:</b> A total of 506 fatal RTAs were recorded, with a mean victim age of 43.2 years. Males accounted for 83.4% of fatalities, yielding a 5:1 male-to-female ratio. The total YLL burden was 22,050 years, corresponding to a standardized rate of 668 per 100,000 population. The 15&ndash;29 age group contributed the largest share of the burden (36.9%), while the male-specific YLL rate (1,114 per 100,000) was five times higher than the female rate.<br> <b>Conclusion:</b> RTAs in Mazandaran represent a critical crisis, disproportionately affecting young males. The substantial loss of human capital in productive age groups necessitates an immediate shift toward evidence-based preventive interventions, specifically prioritizing the physical segregation of motorcycle lanes and stricter enforcement of safety regulations to mitigate this preventable public health burden.</span></span></span></div> Accidents, Traffic, Premature Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, Public Health, Epidemiology 0 0 http://hdq.uswr.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-34-11&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Reza Habibisaravi drhabibisaravi@gmail.com No Department of Pre-hospital Emergency, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Mohammad Javad Moradian moradianshiraz@gmail.com No Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Hamidreza Khankeh hrkhankeh@gmail.com No Department of Emergency and Disaster Health, University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Pirhossein Kolivand peirhossein@yahoo.com No Department of Health Economics, Faculty of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran Taher Doroudi doroudi@gmail.com No Research Center for Health Management in Mass Gathering, Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Iran Hamzeh Behrouzi behroozi147@yahoo.com No Research Center for Emergency and Disaster Resilience. Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Iran. Fariba Ghasemihamedani fghasemihamedani@gmail.com Yes Research Center for Health Management in Mass Gathering, Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Iran