The main cause of road violence? Speed. Focus on punishing deviant behavior, such as alcohol and drugs? This is relatively useful if the streets are not a safe place for everyone and especially for vulnerable groups. Finally, communication about road violence: very little is being done, but it is fundamental. In short, this is a request that comes from the world gathering of family members and road victimson World Day which commemorates the last day. The day that saw – a paradox – Italian Brothers organizing a car parade in Rome to say no to 30 zones, restricted traffic zones, bicycle lanes, with the inevitable trail of controversy. While Italy remains 19th in the European ranking for road deaths, with 51 deaths per million population (Romania 77, Sweden 22). And with one of the highest motor vehicle rates in Europe (700.8 cars per 1,000 inhabitants).
Halving casualties, a very distant goal
What do the numbers mean, more precisely? The latest Istat data shows, in the January-June 2025 semester, there was a decrease compared to the same period in 2024, in the number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries to people (82,344; -1.3%), injuries (111,090; -1.2%) and more significantly to victims within the thirtieth day (1,310; -6.8%). But there’s not much to be thankful for, compared to the first six months of 2019 – the reference year chosen by European Commissionwhich has set a target of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 – there has been a very limited reduction in traffic accidents (-1.5%) and injuries (-5.0%) and a more significant reduction in deaths (-14.6%).
“Data related to 2025 must be responded to with optimism, but also with caution, because sometimes recovery can occur in the following months,” he explained. Silvia Bruzzoneresearch director “Integrated health, assistance and social security system services” of Istat. “Considering that we must halve the number of victims by 2030, we are still on a path with many obstacles to overcome. In fact, a reduction of 6.1% annually is needed.”
So if we use it as a reference in 2024 – the death rate is calculated only with exact data – we look at the traffic accident side, the number of deaths due to traffic accidents is 3,030 (-0.3% compared to 2023), while the number of injured victims is 233,853 (+4.1%), with a total of 173,364 road accidents (+4.1%). The number of deaths is almost stable compared to 2023while there is an increase in accidents and injuries. Between 2023 and 2024, accidents and injuries increase on all types of roads, especially on motorways (+6.9% accidents, +7.0% injuries). The number of casualties also increased sharply on motorways (+7.1%), compared with a decrease on urban roads (-2.1%) and a slight increase on out-of-town roads (+0.1%).
Compared to 2019, the number of victims and injuries decreased (by -4.5% and -3.1% respectively), while road accidents showed a slight increase (+0.7%). Accidents on highways and extra-urban roads also increased compared to 2019 (+4.0% and +2.7%).
Huge social costs
Apart from endless suffering for the victim’s family, there are also losses that must be borne. “We make estimates social costs of traffic accidentswhich amounts to 18 billion per year only for accidents with injuries to people detected by detection bodies (carabinieri or police), but increases to 22 billion if accidents with damage to property are also taken into account (ANIA source)”, continues Dr. Silvia Bruzzone. “Finally it is estimated figure up to 30 billion if we also consider accidents that are not detected by the police, such as friendly reports that cause minor injuries but have an impact on the economy and society. Overall, we are talking about costs representing a percentage of between 1 and 2% of national GDP.”
In the face of all this, the victims’ association especially asks that the roads be a safe place, even if their driving behavior is not correct. “When you get on a train or a plane, you know that there is safety beyond individual error, because the system is intrinsically safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case on the road, so we have to ensure that human error does not lead to fatal injuries,” he explained. Stefano Guarnierifather of Lorenzo, killed at the age of 17 in 2010 and president of the Lorenzo Guarnieri Association. “We really have to do it reduces average speed traveling on the highway. We will also have the necessary technology but have unreasonable regulatory barriers preventing us from using it, for example speed cameras or tutors. Examination is important, it is the first form of prevention. But there are other things that are also needed.
A sad “pop” vision of speed
But why don’t we focus on control and speed reduction? “Unfortunately,” continued Lorenzo’s father, “there is still a narrative that glorifies it, which is also fueled by the power of the machine itself. But road violence is a public health issue, and health is a constitutional right“. Even the crime of roadkill from a preventative perspective has not had the desired impact. “I believe that unfortunately this is becoming easier as time goes by, also because judges, in my opinion, tend to give much lighter sentences because there is still a lack of social value towards road violence and because we tend to identify ourselves more as drivers than victims”, continued Guarnieri. “Even revoking a driver’s license is currently at the judge’s discretion, it is still seen as a normal thing. right to life”. It also remains at the forefront of road safety education most recently, “of the 650 million in fine proceeds by 2024, which should be reinvested in the road sector, only 300,000 has been put into safety education. The education we carry out in schools is also thanks to collaboration with the traffic police and by differentiating activities based on age.”
Four pillars for immediate security
To create Cities30, reducing car lanes and creating higher pedestrian crossings, required a lot of resources and time. “But every year 3,000 people die, while more than 15,000 people suffer serious injuries or disabilities,” he explained. Alfredo Giordanirepresentatives of the #Vivinstrada network – Network of high street cultural and preventive associations. While waiting for the system to change, what urgent interventions can be done to immediately reduce casualties? “Salvini, with the new Highway Code, is trying to take action on the punitive side, but increasing sanctions does not have a deterrent effect on behavior“, said Giordani. “So, for bad driving, you do not need alcohol and drugs, the driving itself is a factor that causes impairment.” #Vivinstrada put the four pillars of accident prevention in black and white in a document issued in May 2024 to all law enforcement agencies: first of all, speed control through devices Scout Speedelectronic tools to dynamically identify and punish speeding; then random checks and fines for not giving way to pedestrians; third, eradicating illegal parking with police intervention and electronic devices (Street Control); finally, adequate and detailed communication and information regarding all available institutional and non-institutional channels. The topic of communication is very important. “It is important for residents to be informed that checks are being carried out, we need to reactivate the perception of danger”, said Giordani.
Stefano Guarnieri emphasized correct communication regarding violence on the roads, also by the media and the press. “As I always say, you can’t say that a ‘crazy car’ killed someone, just like you would never say that a ‘crazy knife’ killed someone. The person responsible is often hiddenindeed the responsibility is mitigated by talking about ‘cursed bends’, ‘slippery asphalt’ and so on”, Lorenzo’s father concludes. “On the contrary, the victim is often stigmatized, ‘he was dressed in black, he arrived suddenly’, or dehumanized, for example when phrases like ‘I thought he was an animal’ are reported. Not to mention statements like ‘there is nothing that can be done. This is a mechanism of moral disengagement, treating accidents as if they were deaths. On the contrary, death does not occur at all: death can always be avoided.”
