Aim Iran has one of the highest road traffic injury (RTI) mortality globally. This paper reviews the published literature to assess the type of information and gaps in the information on RTI for Iran.

Methods Systematic review of the published literature from Iran was conducted using PubMed database and hand-searching of selected articles from the year 2000 to 2008.

Results Among the 20 studies identified for review, 13 (65%) reported prospective and 7 (35%) retrospective data. Population-based studies accounted for 20% of the studies. 40% of studies reported data from the capital city of Tehran. Non-fatal RTI rate was reported in one study at 393 per 100 000 population and the reported RTI mortality ranged from 25.8 to 39 per 100 000 population with head injuries reported as the major cause of death. Males were nearly four times more likely to suffer non-fatal or fatal RTI as compared with females. Studies consistently demonstrated a peak for people aged 21–30 years for RTI. Pedestrians were the most vulnerable group in urban and motorised two-wheeled vehicle users in the rural areas. There was scarce reporting of risk factors for RTI, lack of sufficient data on fatal and non-fatal RTI for subpopulations, and non-availability of data on economic implications of RTI.

Conclusions Significant gaps in information needed to establish priorities for planning RTI prevention programs are highlighted. It is important to address these to make RTI prevention a priority with the politicians in Iran to reduce the burden of RTI.