Road accidents: two pedestrians run over every hour in Italy, Rome the most dangerous city
Asaps report: injuries and deaths among pedestrians in Italy will increase in 2023
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Key points
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Two pedestrians are run over every hour in Italy, one dies every week in Rome, and pedestrian crossings are increasingly unsafe (175 deaths last year): these are among the figures in the seventh Asaps (Association of Supporters and Friends of the Traffic Police) report on pedestrian accidents in 2023, compiled from Istat data.
Deaths stable, injuries on the rise
The number of deaths on the roads, 485, was the same as the previous year (314 men and 171 women), but the number of injuries, including those with permanent damage, increased from 19,062 to 19,691, whereas in 2021 - the year of the pandemic - there had been 16,693. There were 18,483 pedestrian accidents. Among the victims were also 12 minors and 314 'over 65'. In retrospect, in Italy, between 1991 and 2023, 24,420 pedestrians died and more than 627,000 were injured, 'as were all the inhabitants of Palermo', underlines the analysis of the Associazione sostenitori della Polstrada.
Great cities increasingly less safe
.And the figures for deaths in large cities worsen, 129 compared to 117 in 2022: Rome exceeds the pre-Covid period figures with 55 deaths, 33 of which are 'over 65', followed by Milan with 19 and Naples with 11. In the big cities, the number of injured people is also on the rise, from 4,442 in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, to 6,586 last year, including 2,106 in the capital, where practically every day six people suffer injuries when walking in the streets.
Responsibility of both drivers and pedestrians
.Overall, there were 9,958 accidents in which the driver of the vehicle was responsible, resulting in 229 deaths; on the other hand, pedestrians are also subject to the rules of the Highway Code, and there were 3,990 accidents caused by their erratic behaviour, resulting in 107 deaths and over 3,800 injuries.
Piracy incidents and most affected regions
There were many incidents of piracy, with 55 deaths and 1,278 injured. Lazio is the region with the highest number of deaths (87), followed by Lombardy (58) and Campania (44); the bloodiest month was September (61 deaths), the least at risk was May, with 22. And in 2024, the Pedestrian Observatory counter has already exceeded 270 victims between 1 January and 8 September.
