Twelve months devoted to security, with images that tell the history of the local police and their daily commitment to serving the public.

The 2019 Milan Local Police Calendar was presented today, 4th December, at the Piazza Beccaria Headquarters.

Safety21 is a sponsor of the project, which over the years has become a traditional event for both the Corps and the city.

The theme of the 2019 Calendar is the changing face of the Local Police, which is also linked to the changing face of Milan, focusing on its historical sites and social life. The images in the calendar show the constant presence and professionalism of the Milan local police force during the many changes that have taken place over the years, from the founding of the force to the present day.

The photographs in it will also be part of an exhibition to be held in the city in the near future.

Present at the press conference were the Deputy Mayor of the City of Milan, Anna Scavuzzo, and the Commander of the Milan Local Police, Marco Ciacci.

In the city of Ibarra, Ecuador, the integrated road safety project implemented by Sintel Italia in partnership with Safety21 is now underway.

The project introduces an advanced traffic prevention and monitoring system to the country, with the help of interactive and innovative devices – including Scout Speed – and represents the most important road and urban safety plan in Latin America.

Scout Speed are mobile speed detection devices that can be used both on the move and while stationary. They are installed in police cars and can also automatically read and check number plates, thus increasing the effectiveness of individual patrols.

As a technology partner, Safety21 provided the TITAN® proprietary platform to the project which enables fully integrated management of Scout Speed (including end-to-end encryption from the device to the penalty management IT system). The platform also allows the offender to view the photo of the offence online and receive in-depth information on the offence code, how to pay and how to appeal.

The device-system integration has already been designed to be fully compliant with the new European data protection regulation (GDPR).

The aim of the programme, which is being rolled out for the first time in the Imbabura province in the Northern Region, is to combat traffic violations and counterfeiting and to increase road safety.

In the era of Big Data, management of the data collected and transmitted by an ever-increasing number of IoT tools is a fundamental asset for companies that, like us, are participating in the Digital Transformation of road safety. This change has to do not only with a significant technological evolution – of interconnected and multifunctional devices, as well as of vehicles – but also with compliance with the obligations on personal data protection and the guarantees of traceability and confidentiality that operators are called upon to ensure.

In order to ensure maximum traceability of data and use, Safety21 has embarked on a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we develop our solutions with data privacy in mind and, on the other, we use the most secure infrastructures that comply with international and national standards.

For this reason, we decided to host our solutions in one of the world’s leading Internet Datacentres, managed by Microsoft on the Azure platform. With this choice, the customer has ownership and control of the data, while we and the cloud provider are committed to establishing transparent data protection procedures and offering clients options for responsible management of their stored data in accordance with applicable regulations and laws.

This commitment to data protection is evidenced by the adoption of the world’s first ISO/IEC 27018 certified cloud data protection code of practice.

Cloud computing, the main technology trend in the IT world, is at the heart of our TITAN® web-based platform, the solution through which Safety21 provides scalable outsourcing services to Public Authorities using a specific delivery model: Software as a Service (SaaS) in Pay-per-Use mode.

Yet, what exactly does it mean to be innovative in providing such a cloud-based management system?

First and foremost, cutting costs

• There is no financial commitment towards rapidly obsolete technology components (and as it is inCloud, no proprietary infrastructure is required)

Ease and speed of service

• TITAN®, developed entirely using innovative web technologies, can be used immediately via a browser and requires no installation, meaning that the service can be implemented in just a few minutes and the software can be constantly updated without interruption.

Full-outsourcing management

• Full outsourcing enables the client to have a partner who takes charge of all the service components (computers, field devices, software solution, etc.) and the associated running costs, both ordinary and extraordinary.

Translated into practice, the time and effort saved by the authority’s staff is matched by the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the solutions offered.

Added value for everyone and an achievement in terms of innovation.

The ISTAT figures on road accidents in 2017 serve as a warning on the need for a higher level of road safety and greater awareness of responsible driving behaviour. This is because the number of road fatalities rose in 2017: +95, or +2.9%.

Overall, last year there were 174,933 road accidents involving personal injury, down slightly from 2016, with 3,378 fatalities and 246,750 injuries.

According to ISTAT, the increase in the number of deaths in Italy was mainly due to the increase in the number of deaths on motorways (including ring roads and motorway junctions) and non-urban roads (296 and 1,615 deaths; +8.0% and +4.5% over the previous year). A smaller increase was recorded on urban roads (1,467 deaths; +0.3%). However, in the large municipalities the trend is the opposite, with a 5.8% decrease in the number of victims in built-up areas.

The number of victims among pedestrians (600, +5.3%) and, above all, motorcyclists (735, +11.9%) increased, while the figures for motorists (1,464, -0.4%) were more or less stable and those for moped riders (92, -20.7%) and cyclists (254, -7.6%) were down.

In 2017, once again, speeding, failure to use compulsory safety equipment and the use of mobile phones while driving were the most frequently penalised traffic offences.

The number of accidents involving the most vulnerable road users continues to rise, as do the most frequent errors, such as driver distraction, failure to give way and speeding (40.8% overall). This is the picture that emerged from the ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) report on road accidents in 2017.

Last year, the number of pedestrian fatalities rose by 5.3% compared with the previous year, a total of 600 people involved, and the statistics show a substantial increase in the number of motorcyclist fatalities (735, +11.9%). On the other hand, the figures for motorists were stable (1,464, -0.4%) and those for mopeds (92, -20.7%) and cyclists (254, -7.6%) were down.

While the urgent need to protect vulnerable road users remains, there is an equally urgent need to introduce monitoring and training measures to counter a critical worldwide trend.

The added safety provided by the application of advanced technology to urban and non-urban road traffic control and the strengthening of a valid road safety culture, especially among young people, are increasingly seen as essential tools for achieving national safety objectives.

ScaleIT, the exclusive event-platform created to facilitate contacts between international investors interested in high-potential companies and the best Italian and South-Eastern European scaleups, returns to Milan on 17 and 18 October 2018.

Safety21 has been selected as one of the 15 most innovative and promising international companies in terms of business model and performance (scaleup) that will be admitted to the fourth edition of the event. We are present in the “Later Stage” section for companies that already have a turnover of more than EUR 10 million and who will present their success stories at the event.

Represented by the CEO, Gianluca Longo, Safety21 will introduce the milestones that have marked the company’s development over the last few years and the development plan for the coming years, which focuses on playing an ever more prominent role in the road safety sector, through constant investment in technology, proprietary patents and expert partnerships.

More and more attention is paid to the quality and optimisation of services in the Digital Transformation of Safety21, which this year obtained ISO 20000 Certification for the management of IT Services.

ISO 20000 is the first international Standard specifically aimed at the Management of Information Technology Services, designed to verify consistency in the management of IT services and related infrastructures, whether in-house or outsourced. The purpose is to streamline IT processes, increase effectiveness and ensure the highest quality of services provided internally and/or externally with the associated aim of controlling costs.

Thanks to this achievement, Safety21 will be able to provide its clients with better performing and more competitive technology solutions and services on the national and international market.

In the first half of 2018, the group also passed all the inspections for its other certifications and was granted the extension of its ISO 9001 certification to include hire (EA32).

The European Commission aims to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on Europe’s roads by 2030 through the “3rd Mobility Package”, a package of measures with considerable added value in contributing to road safety that has already been welcomed by both the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and the IAF (International Automobile Federation).

The Commission proposes that new vehicle models should be equipped with advanced safety features, such as emergency braking, lane assist and detection systems for pedestrians and cyclists, the most vulnerable road users. In addition, the Commission is helping Member States to systematically identify dangerous road sections and better target their investments. These measures could save up to 10,500 lives and avoid almost 60,000 injuries in the period 2020-2030, thus contributing to the EU’s long-term goal of approaching zero deaths and serious injuries by 2050 (“Vision Zero”).

Central to the programme is the role assigned to technology and investment in innovation, with a call to seize the value of progress by anticipating challenges but also opportunities, as well as the adoption of an integrated policy for the future of road safety.