Running away “after hitting someone is cowardly, it is an act that goes against any rules. And in any case, those who do it do not need to deceive themselves, because we always get everything. Therefore, running away worsens the investor’s situation in an excessive way: once he is tracked down he goes to prison. Accidents can happen to anyone. Therefore, we must always stop and provide help. Remember that in this way we can save lives. So why risk carrying such a burden? “.
Local police commander Gianluca Mirabelli spoke after a week of very serious accidents in the city. Last Wednesday, after a hit-and-run through Fratelli Bronzetti, 86-year-old Franco Bertolotti died, dragged about ten meters while crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing with a van driven by a 29-year-old Egyptian citizen without a driver’s license, who is now in prison. Thursday it was the turn of a 91-year-old man, who was also hit at a pedestrian crossing on Via Friuli (but his investors stopped); the same night, in Vigentino, a 12-year-old was hospitalized in a desperate condition after being hit by a van driven by a 21-year-old; hours later a 50-year-old man was released on bail for failure to render aid after hitting a 9-year-old child in his car who was accompanied by his father, who was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in Piazza Durante.
Commander Mirabelli, some say, after the frenzy of implementing the new highway code, the police are doing less to check: for example those who drive while texting on their cell phones.
“That is absolutely not true. On the contrary: I spoke mainly with the motorbike patrol, telling them that I would prefer a triple fine for driving with a mobile phone or for driving through a red light than a 200 fine for a parking ban. And this is because we dedicate ourselves very much to preventing and fighting against rules of behavior that can cause accidents, we prefer to save lives when we can”.
How many patrols are there in the city right now?
“Not to mention unmarked cars, in the morning there are 120, in the afternoon 120 (before there were 40); at night there are 20/25 (previously there were never more than eleven), at night there are 3/4, now there are 10-12. At least twice a week we carry out patrols, especially dealing with those who drive drunk. We have increased from 2,700 to more than 3,200 local police officers in the area. And there was a fatal accident in the Municipality of Milan in In 2024 there were 36, the previous year 45, in 2000 108”.
Has someone responsible for an investment tried to escape more than once?
“The number of negligence is not increasing, but at times like this, those who run away tend to make more headlines. Then there are those who run away because they don’t have a driver’s license, insurance, inspection, the car was stolen, or because they were drunk or drugged. There are also those who just feel scared.”
On via Verro residents asked for a speed limit of 30 km per hour.
“As the Municipality of Milan, we have a Mobility and Transport Directorate that deals with this. We are fighting harder than in the past regarding rules of conduct that cause accidents.”
In Switzerland, police also monitor pedestrian crossings.
“For many years as police officers (along with the associations that help us) we have carried out services in front of schools, but we cannot think of placing officers on every street corner to reduce accidents which of course can be prevented a little by repressive measures, but the most important thing is by paying attention to the road rules.”
Is there still little road safety education?
“Yes. Every year, as the local police in Milan, we train 40 thousand students, from preschool age onwards. This is not a one-time intervention and is certainly useful. However, beyond that, common sense is what is needed.
Behaviors that can cause more accidents must be eliminated: speeding, drunk driving, under the influence of drugs, using mobile phones, overtaking is prohibited and must always stop at traffic lights. This will be enough to increase attention to these rules and serious or very serious accidents will be reduced.”
