The first victims of road violence are pedestrians and cyclists

Accidents with injuries are decreasing compared to the pre-pandemic period but the numbers involving pedestrians and cyclists are increasing among those involved; in addition, fines for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and speeding are on the rise.

 This is the summary of the latest report of Local Police activities related to 2022 covering medium and large cities providing information on municipalities where about 19 million Italians reside.

It is, therefore, a very reliable and indicative snapshot of the average motorist's driving style and the consequences of his or her behaviour behind the wheel. There were 142 Local Police Commands that actively participated in the data collection, and from these, we derive numbers to ponder.

In fact, while starting with an initial positive figure from which it turns out that from 76,099 accidents with injuries in 2019 to 65,309 in 2022, we read that out of more than six and a half million disputed offenses, 1.9 million involve speeding.

The numbers reporting growth in penalties for driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs (6,426 violations assessed) and those for lack of insurance coverage (46,674 penalties, up from the previous year when there were 42,029) are even more significant.

Nearly 135,000; on the other hand, amounted to fines for failure to use safety devices such as helmets and seatbelts while there were 2,210 cases of hit-and-runs in accidents. These numbers highlight, regardless of the absolute number of accidents recorded, a strong propensity to disregard basic rules which  then ; results in the increase of victims among the most defenseless such as pedestrians and cyclists. To increase prevention, the report shows that video surveillance activity along roads is constantly growing: 79 percent of municipalities have their own video surveillance regulations (it was 56.5 percent in 2014). The cameras installed in 2021 turn out to be on average 192 per city (it was 179 in 2020). The most video monitored city is Milan with 2,272 cameras, followed by Rome with 2,123 and Florence with 1,392 cameras installed.