Istat: road fatalities rise in 2024 (+4%) Record number of cars in Italy, 694 per thousand inhabitants, in the EU it is 571

Road accidents increased in the first half of 2024 (+0.9 compared to the same period last year) with an unexpected increase in road fatalities, which rose by 4 per cent: 1429 deaths compared to 1374 in the first half of 2023. Compared to the pre-candemic period, accidents are decreasing (-4.3 per cent compared to 2019) to -6.8 per cent. These are just some of the data lined up by Istat during the conference 'Road accidents: data and policy measures. A territorial framework'. The increase estimated by Istat for 2024 in a preliminary way goes against the trend in Europe: the increase recorded in the first half of 2024 in fact distances Italy from the European objectives for 2030 when the reduction in the phenomenon should be 767 victims. The analysis shows that the first 2024 data compared to the same period in 2023 record a decrease in the number of victims on motorways (-13.9%) while they increase on urban roads (+7.9%) and extra-urban roads (+1%). In 2023, on the other hand, there were 3,039 deaths on the roads (-3.8 per cent compared to 2022), 224,634 injuries (+0.5 per cent) and 166,525 road accidents (+0.4 per cent). The first circumstance to cause accidents on our roads is distraction with 15.1 per cent of cases, followed by failure to yield the right of way for 12.9 per cent of cases and excessive speed for 8.4 per cent.

In Italy, road safety has made progress in recent years, but there is still a lot to be done," said Francesco Maria Chelli, president of Istat. "While there has been a long-term downward trend in the number of accidents and victims, the figures published a month ago for the first half of 2024 show a new, albeit modest, increase: accidents have risen by 0.9 per cent and victims by 4 per cent. Congested and uncontrolled city traffic and poorly maintained roads increase the risks for cyclists and pedestrians. Regions are experimenting with innovative solutions, but they need support to make a significant impact on the quality of road safety. Training is the only real long-term answer to the problems: training, starting with young people'.

Istat has also published an analysis on environmental sustainability in which it highlights the Italian record for car circulation across Europe. It is 694 cars per 1,000 inhabitants (571 the EU average). The rate continues to grow on average, by 1.3% per year since 2018, much more than in the other major EU economies (Germany +0.7%, Spain +0.4%, France +0.3%), Istat explains. Motorisation rates are also obviously increasing for the second year running, in all metropolitan capitals. Among the large cities, Catania (815 cars/1,000 inhabitants), Reggio di Calabria and Cagliari (over 700) exceed the national average.