According to preliminary estimates released by theSTATEin the first half of 2024 there was an increase in the number of road accidents with injuries to people and victims. In detail, in the period there were 80,057 road accidents with injuries to people (+0.9%), 107,643 injured (+0.5%) and 1,429 victims within the thirtieth day (+4.0%).
In comparison with the first six months of 2019, the year chosen as a reference for the 2030 objective by the European Commission with the “Road safety policy framework 2021-2030” program (50% reduction in the number of victims and serious injuries by 2030) , ISTAT still detects a decline in road accidents (-4.3%), injuries (-8.0%) and deaths (-6.8%).
In comparison with the first half of 2023, victims decreased on motorways (-13.9%), instead they increased on urban roads (+7.9%) and on extra-urban roads (+1.0%).
The percentage distribution shows that accidents occur more frequently on urban streets (73.0%), while the largest number of victims focuses on the streets extra-urban (47.2%). On the other hand, 5.6% of accidents and 7.8% of deaths are recorded on motorways.
The differences detected month by month show a consistent increase for the entire semester, excluding the month of April, in which a decrease of 9.8% was recorded, compared to the same months of 2023.
ISTAT also highlights that the car market in the first half of 2024 it is increasing compared to the same period of 2023: +5.1% registrations of new cars and +5.8% those of motorcycles, but compared to 2019 new cars show a decline (-16.5 %) compared to a strong increase in motorcycles (+47.5%).
The use of sharing services, including scooters, has a fluctuating diffusion in cities (e.g. growing in Rome, sharply decreasing in Milan).
As regards motorway travel, the cumulative data for the first four months of 2024 records a growth of 3.1% in vehicles/km traveled on the network, compared to the same time period last year. This result is mainly attributable to the increase in the mileage of heavy vehicles, whose growth compared to 2023 was 4%. However, volumes for light vehicles also recorded an increase of 2.7%.
As regards traffic on the main extra-urban network, slightly increasing values were recorded for light and heavy vehicles in the first half of 2024 (+1.4%). On average the
traffic increased by approximately 1% for light vehicles and 1.9% for heavy vehicles.
“Welcome to our interview segment on world news today. Today, we have with us two esteemed guests to discuss the preliminary estimates released by the State about the increase in road accidents with injuries to people and victims in the first half of 2024. We are also looking at the decline in road accidents, injuries, and deaths as compared to 2019 when the European Commission’s Road Safety Policy Framework program was launched, with a goal of reducing the number of victims and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. With us, we have Mr. Giovanni Rossi, the head of the National Road Safety Observatory, and Ms. Sofia Lombardi, a leading traffic psychologist.”
Theme 1: Road Accidents, Injuries, and Victims
Question 1: What are some of the key factors contributing to the increase in road accidents with injuries to people and victims in the first half of 2024, and what measures can be taken to address these issues? – Mr. Rossi
Question 2: How successful has the European Commission’s Road Safety Policy Framework program been in reducing the number of road accidents, injuries, and deaths between 2019 and 2024? What role does improved infrastructure, driver education, and vehicle safety technologies play in achieving these goals? – Ms. Lombardi
Theme 2: Urban, Extra-Urban, and Motorway Traffic
Question 3: Can you explain the distribution of road accidents based on the type of roads – urban, extra-urban, and motorways? What are the unique challenges and opportunities in improving road safety on each of these types of roads? – Ms. Lombardi
Question 4: How have advancements in vehicle safety technologies like ABS, ESC, and airbags impacted the safety of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on urban and extra-urban roads? Are there any specific types of accidents that these technologies have been more effective in preventing? – Mr. Rossi
Theme 3: Market and Sharing Services Trends
Question 5: The report highlights increases in both new car registrations and motorcycle registrations in the first half of 2024.
