In Italy, road fatalities are back with a significant rise. ACI-ISTAT estimates - related to the first semester of 2022 - show - compared to the same period in 2021 - an increase, of accidents with injuries (+24.7 percent), victims (+15.3 percent) and injured (+25.7 percent). Below is the Aci statement.
The data
From January 1 to June 30, 81,437 accidents caused 1,450 deaths and 108,996 injuries: an average of 450 accidents, 8 deaths and 602 injuries every day.
The increase in fatalities in 2022 was most notable on suburban roads (+20%) while it was smaller on urban roads (+11%) and highways (+10%).
Average mileage on the rise
Similar trends were seen in average vehicle mileage. In the period from January to June 2022, average highway mileage increased by 25.6 percent. The upswing in traffic mainly affects light vehicles, particularly passenger cars, while decidedly smaller growth was recorded for heavy vehicles (+7%). Similar situation is noted for traffic on the main suburban network, where in the first four months of the year increases reached peaks of 30%. In cities, the use of sharing services, including scooters, is still on the rise, with scooters accounting for the largest share of rentals. Conversely, the car market is declining.
Compared to 2019
In the first half of 2022, compared to 2019, the year set as the basis for monitoring the 2021-2030 decade, there is, however, still a slight decline: road accidents -2.6 percent; injuries -6.8 percent and fatalities -5.5 percent. With reference to road category, fatalities decrease significantly on highways (-11.8%) while on urban and suburban roads the decline is estimated at around 5%.
November 20, 2022 'World Day in Remembrance of Road Victims'
Sunday, November 20 marks the "World Day in Remembrance of Road Victims": 8 deaths and 48 serious injuries per day are unacceptable, each victim is a loss for the whole society. We must strive to meet the goals of halving these figures by 2030. With a short video, ACI aims to raise everyone's awareness to use caution when driving, reminding them that there is no such thing as a safe speed: "Your risk, your responsibility!" Drive safely for your own and others' safety.