Traffic accidents 2023 on the rise, but fewer deaths. Over 6.8 million fines
The social cost of road accidents with personal injury, the 2023 report recalls, amounts to almost EUR 18 billion in 2023: 1 per cent of national GDP)
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Key points
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More road accidents in 2023, but fewer deaths. Aci-Istat data for 2023 show that 3,039 people died in road accidents in Italy (-3.8% compared to the previous year), 224,634 were injured (+0.5%) and 166,525 were injured in road accidents (+0.4%). The figures are therefore slightly up on 2022 for accidents and injuries, but down for fatalities. Compared to 2019, the benchmark for the 2021-2030 decade, accidents decrease by 3.3%, road fatalities by 4.2% and injuries by 6.9%.
High cost of accidents
.The social cost of road accidents with personal injury, the 2023 report points out, amounts to almost EUR 18 billion in 2023 (1% of national GDP). If we also take into account the costs associated with accidents involving only property damage (about EUR 4.3 billion), we arrive at a figure of about EUR 22.3 billion, the Aci-Istat report for 2023 points out.
The mortality rate is lowered
.The road mortality rate drops from 53.6 to 51.5 deaths per million inhabitants between 2022 and 2023 (53.1 in 2019). In 2023, the number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants is higher than the national average (5.2) in 13 regions. The road mortality rate in large municipalities rises to 4.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, from 4.2 in 2022. The mortality rate remains highest on extra-urban roads, with 4.1 deaths per 100 accidents (4.3 in 2022); it falls to 2.7 on motorways, while it is 1.1 on urban roads (4.3, 3.5 and 1.1 respectively in 2022). The national average, virtually unchanged since 2010 except for insignificant fluctuations, is 1.8.
Distraction,
Driving errors, from distraction to high speed
.Incorrect driving behaviour is confirmed as the most frequent: distraction (33,144 accidents, 15.1 per cent of the total), driving without respecting the right of way or traffic lights (28,389 accidents, 12.9 per cent), and high speed (18,524, 8.4 per cent). The three groups together account for 36.5 per cent of cases (80,057). According to the new collision matrices, the fatal risk exposure is high for drivers of electric bicycles and scooters involved in accidents with passenger cars or solo vehicles. Motorised two-wheelers have a high number of accidents in collisions with passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and isolated vehicles. Pedestrians present a higher risk than other users when they collide with passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
