ACI – ISTAT data on traffic accidents in 2022 they report increases compared to the previous year concentrated mainly in the period from January to July, while in the same months of 2021 the anti-Covid measures were still in force (especially the curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) which severely limited travel. It is therefore a unreliable comparison: much more significant however, the comparison between 2022 and 2019last year before the pandemic, still posting a decrease in accidents (-3.7%) and injured (-7.4%), while the number of victims is almost stable (-0.4%).

ROAD ACCIDENTS IN ITALY 2022 VS. 2021

However, we point out, for the record, the previous year data. In 2022, compared to 2021, accidents and injuries recorded an overall growth. Last year they counted themselves 3,159 dead in road accidents in Italy (+9.9% compared to the previous year) e 223,475 injured (+9.2%), while accidents were 165,889 (+9.2%).

Losses increased for each type of road usera, except for cyclists and truck occupants. Here is the detail :

• car occupants: 1,375 (+15.4%);
• motorcyclists: 781 (+12.4%);
• mopeds: 70 (+4.5%);
• pedestrians: 485 (+3.2%);
• truck occupants: 166 (-1.8%);
• cyclists (traditional bikes and electric bikes): 205 (-6.8%);
• electric scooter users: 16 (+77.8%).

In reference to the suns electric scootersthat the ACI and ISTAT have been counting since 2020, the road accidents that saw them involved rose from 2,101 in 2021 to 2,929 in 2022the wounded from 1,980 to 2,787, while the dead were 16 years old (in 2021 there were 9 plus a pawn).

As for the different urban areastraffic crashes, fatalities and injuries increased across the board compared to 2021, but remained below pre-pandemic levels, excluding casualties on urban roads. Compared to 2021 on motorways, there is an increase of +9.7% for accidents and +19.9% ​​for victims; on urban roads +9.8% for accidents and +5.5% for victims, on extra-urban roads +7.2% for accidents and +12.2% for deaths.

ROAD ACCIDENTS 2022 IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Also on European roads, 2022 marked a gradual recovery in mobility and therefore, compared to 2021, the road deaths were 20,669 against 19,932 (+3.7%). A significant number but lower than 22,761 in 2019 (-9.2%)last year before Covid, and at around 30,000 in 2010.

Growth in the number of road fatalities between 2022 and 2021 however, this did not affect all countries: indeed, things went very well in Slovenia (-25.4%), Latvia (-23.1%), Lithuania (-18.4%), Cyprus (-17.8%), Poland (-15.5%), Finland (-15.1%), Estonia (-9.1%), Romania (-8.2%), Croatia (-5.8%), Bulgaria (-5.3%) and Hungary (-1.7%).

THE more substantial increases instead they were recorded in Malta (+188.9% but in very low numbers), Luxembourg (+50.0%), the Netherlands (+26.6%), Denmark (+18.5%) and Sweden (+18.2%).

THE road fatality rate (deaths per million population) in 2022 was 46.3 in the EU and 53.6 in Italy. A poor result that slid our country from thirteenth to nineteenth place in the European rankings.

We recall that for the decade 2021-2030 European road safety objectives include the Halve the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 compared to the reference year set at 2019. In this context, the categories having recorded smaller decreases in terms of mortality, and in some cases even increases, were those of bikers (-17.8% since 2010 and +11.9 since 2019), cyclists (-17.4% since 2010, -13.4% since 2019) and pedestrians (-21.7% since 2010, -9.0% since 2019).

By contrast, mopeds and motorists have made the greatest gains in reducing mortality over the past 20 years. thanks to a multiplicity of factors, including awareness of the correct use of helmets and safety devices and significant technological advances in the construction of vehicle safety devices. However, it remains to be pointed out that the number of mopeds in circulation has clearly decreased over time.

ROAD ACCIDENTS 2022 ACI – ISTAT: THE NUMBER OF LOW USERS

As mentioned, road accident victims in Italy were 3,159 in 2022. Looking at the age distribution, the deaths are concentrated in the 45-59 age bracket and 20-29 years for menbetween 75 and 84 years old 20-24 years for women. However, the most significant increase compared to 2021 was recorded, overall, for the age group between 55 and 69 years old, with a greater increase for the age group 60-64 years old (+35.5%), but also for very young people aged 15-19 (+21.2%) and 25-29 (+10.4%).

Moreover, the share of children aged 0 to 14 who died in a road accident: there were 39 in 2022including 27 between 5 and 14 years old, an increase from previous years. The value, which shows no signs of falling, is even higher than that recorded in 2019; indeed, 28 children aged 0 to 14 died in 2021, 37 in 2020 and 35 in 2019.

Regarding the means, we have already talked about electric scooters, while in 2022 e-bikes have been involved in 1,113 accidents (691 in 2021 and 240 in 2020), with 20 victims among vehicle drivers and passengers and 1 dead pedestrian (13 victims in 2021 and 6 in 2020), 1,077 injured and 34 injured pedestrians. Traditional bicycles were involved in 15,981 accidents (15,771 in 2021 and 13,240 in 2020) with 185 dead and 2 dead pedestrians (211 in 2021 and 169 in 2020), 15,600 injured and 378 injured pedestrians. In 2022, there were therefore 17,065 accidents with bicycles (electric and non-electric) and 2,929 with scooters.which resulted in a total of 221 victims and 3 pedestrians dead and 19,462 injured, including 541 crushed and injured pedestrians.

MAJOR CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS

Among the incorrect driving behaviors that cause road accidents, the distractionTHE failure to respect precedence and the speed too high were confirmed as being the most frequent. The three groups represent a total of 38.1% of cases (82,857). Among other more relevant causes, the irregular maneuver (16,788), lack of safety distance (15,233 cases), lack of pedestrian priority (7,185) and incorrect pedestrian behavior (5,899) represent respectively 7.7%, 7.0%, 3.3% and 2.7% of the causes of accidents.

With reference to the road category, the leading cause of accidents on urban streets it is non-compliance with priority rules or traffic lights (16.3%), followed by distracted driving (12.7%); on extra-urban roads it is distracted driving or indecisive driving (15.0%), followed by speeding (13.7%).

It also turns out that out of a total of 56,284 accidents with injuries recorded by the police and the traffic police, in 5,577 cases at least one of the drivers of the vehicles involved was in drunk while in 1,671 cases he was underdrug effect. 9.9% and 3.0% of accidents were thus linked to alcohol and drugs, increasing proportions compared to 2021 for drink-driving and slightly decreasing for drugs (9.7% and 3.2%). The percentages were 8.7 and 3.4 in 2019 and 9.2 and 3.5 in 2020.

Finally, as far as I’m concerned driving behaviors more punishedin the first two positions there is always driving too fast (38.7% of the total) and irregular parking (37.2%).