Asaps presented the 7th Annual Report on accidents involving pedestrians in Italy, thanks to ISTAT data for the year 2023. What emerged is that if on the one hand the data worsened in terms of the number of injured and the number of accidents involving the weakest road user throughout the past year, on the other hand they remained stable in terms of the overall number of deaths.
Pedestrian massacre
Data in hand, in 2023 there were 18,483 investments of pedestrians, an increase compared to the whole of 2022 when there were 17,765. In total, 485 people died, 314 men and 171 women: in 2022 there were the same number, always 485 people, 325 men and 160 women. What is most worrying, as mentioned, is the number of pedestrians injuredsome with permanent damage, which reached 19,691, up from 19,062 in 2022.
The numbers of the Asaps report
But where do these investments take place? One might ask a bit everywhere: on the sidewalk 29 deaths were recorded in 782 accidents, while the pedestrian who was the victim was walking on the edge of the roadway 25 deaths in 825 accidents, while working on the roadway protected by a special sign 5 deaths and 25 accidents, and above all while he was on pedestrian crossings, as many as 8,276 with 175 deaths, of which 156 in urban areas and 19 in extra-urban areas. Overall, in 9,958 cases of investment with 229 deaths the driver of the vehicle was responsiblebut it should be noted that the accidents caused by the irregular behavior of pedestrians themselves were still numerous, 3,990 with 107 deaths and over 3,855 injured.
No one is safe
As always, fatal accidents on Italian roads they did not spare any age group: it goes from under 18 to over 65 without distinction. At a geographical level, however, the Lazio is the region that had the highest number of deaths with 87 (58 men and 29 women) of which 51 were over 65, a sharp increase compared to the 70 deaths in 2022 of which 39 were over 65, followed by Lombardy with 58, Campania with 44, Emilia Romagna with 43, Sicily and Veneto with 39, Tuscany with 33, Piedmont with 26. A final mention of the many piracy cases: In 2023, 1,121 episodes were recorded, with 55 deaths and 1,278 injuries.
The appeal of Giordano Biserni
“We will transmit these data to the members of the Transport Commissions of the Chamber and Senate on the eve of the resumption of parliamentary work after the summer break, so that they take note of an intolerable situation for a civilized country, which it also regresses compared to other European countries who have introduced more severe rules and sanctions for those who kill or injure a pedestrian – commented Giordano Biserni, President of Asaps – This report is yet another alarm bell for everyone, for the institutions, the Government, the parliamentarians, the road owners who must seriously invest in infrastructure, as well as in improving the luminous signs at pedestrian crossings, in some parts of Italy totally absent or not properly maintained. We want to reiterate the concept that the pedestrian crossing, in Italy is a land of conquest for the most undisciplined who do not even slow down in front of the elderly who are victims six times out of ten. The Government must arrange for hiring among the police forces and local police forces, to be dedicated to road checks. Stop waging war on speed cameras and breathalysers, because these are the results that are being achieved, especially due to the ‘free for all’ effect, given by announcements and the failure to issue implementing decrees. On the roads we need checks and a serious reform of the highway code. No awareness campaign on the knowledge of the rules that provide for the deduction of 8 points from the license, in the event of failure to give priority to pedestrians on the crosswalk, has been carried out in the last 12 months. We need a real change in mentality when driving, because we are all pedestrians“.
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