Lombardy holds a dubious record: its road accident density is practically double that of the country as a whole.

This is what emerged from a survey conducted by the Milan Automobile Club and ISTAT on road accident data from 2010 to 2016, which was recently revealed by the Milan branch of the Confcommercio trade association. 

Accident density on Lombardy’s roads reached 1.35 accidents per km compared with an Italian average of 0.67 accidents per km. More specifically, 32,785 accidents were recorded in Lombardy in 2016, causing 434 deaths and over 45,000 injuries; 78.9% occurred in cities and urban contexts (234 deaths and 34,416 injuries

). Motorists and motorcyclists were the most affected: over 2,300 people died on the road during the period under review, followed by pedestrians and cyclists, with almost one thousand deaths. According to the study, the most dangerous roads were the ring roads east and west of Milan, the Lake Como and Giovi roads, the Via Emilia, and the route to Malpensa airport.

This is supported by statistics and confirmed by a number of measures, not least the circular ‘prevention and countermeasure strategies for containing the problem’ issued by the Chief of Police in his capacity as Director-General of Public Safety. The traffic safety situation on Italy’s roads is critical and requires attention – and action – because, while the number of accidents has fallen, the number of fatalities has risen over the last year, both on local roads and on motorways.

According to the annual report released by the State Police and Carabinieri (as at 20 December 2017), while 2017 recorded a slight decrease in the overall number of accidents (72,015, or 2.5% less than in 2016) and in the number of people injured (39. 178, or -0.6%), it also recorded an increase in accidents with fatal consequences, with an increase in claims (1,519) + 0.8% (12 more) and victims – (1,656) + 2.2% (36 more fatalities). This trend is confirmed by ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) data.

In the first half of 2017, preliminary estimates from the Italian National Institute of Statistics confirm a reversal of the trend as regards fatalities, which are rising again, with increases of between 6.7 and 8.2%. This upward trend further distances us from the European objective of reducing the number of road deaths by 50% by 2020 and is a cause for great concern.

In this context, the active promotion of a road safety culture and the monitoring and optimisation of resources in the field are some of the feasible solutions to curb the problem. Companies such as Safety21, which work alongside Public and Police Authorities to convert investments in safety into positive results on the roads for the benefit of citizens, cannot but feel the urgent need for action.

According to preliminary data from the European Commission, there were 25,500 road fatalities in Europe in 2016, 600 fewer than the previous year and an overall drop of 19%, over the past six years. A positive trend – also highlighted in the latest DEKRA road safety report – but not enough to achieve the European objectives of halving the number of victims by 2020 (-50%). Especially in light of forecast data issued by individual states suggesting a new negative trend reversal for 2017.

However, the 2016 European picture shows interesting assessments and a few firsts. With the usual variations between member states, Europe’s roads are the safest in the world and in 2016 Sweden had the lowest number of fatal accidents per million inhabitants, followed by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Germany, and Ireland. Italy ranked 15th in this classification, with Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, and Poland at the bottom. In addition, 2016 was the second year in which the number of road fatalities per million inhabitants did not exceed 100 in any of the Member States and in which half of the Member States had their best road safety performance since 1965.

Regarding the number of victims, unfortunately the European statistics also reflect familiar patterns common to all countries: the greatest number of casualties throughout Europe is amongst car passengers (46%), while 21% of all road accidents involve pedestrians, a percentage which, in line with national figures, has been slowly falling in relation to other vulnerable road users. 8% of all road accident victims in the EU are cyclists. Motorcyclists accounted for 14% of the victims in 2016.

Source: DEKRA Report

The ” Child Safety Report “, recently published by the European Transport Safety Council, estimates that over 8,000 children under the age of 14 have been victims of road accidents in Europe in the last 10 years: 50% in cars, 33% as pedestrians, and 13% as cyclists. The safest roads in the EU for children are in Norway, while Italy is amongst the top eight countries with the lowest child mortality rate, although in 2016 there were 49 under-14 fatalities on the roads.

The ETSC, of which the Italian Automobile Club is a member, counts Italy amongst the countries most committed to raising road safety standards, thanks to the good results achieved by the ‘Vision Zero’ programme, which includes the adoption of specific measures for children, such as improving visibility on the roads they use to get to school and back home, better use of seat belts, and encouraging adults to take more responsibility.

However, at a time when the European Union is developing its road safety strategy for the next decade, what solutions would enable us to do more to safeguard the lives of children on the road?

The ETSC believes it is essential to introduce measures to moderate speed in general and near schools in particular, and to promote the standard installation of smart technologies such as ISA (Intelligent Speed Assistant) or AEB (Automated Emergency Braking) in new-generation cars, which are as important for the safety of children as seatbelts and car seats. In this regard, the World Health Organisation states that the correct use of child booster seats guarantees an 80% chance of saving a life. Road safety always starts with a conscious choice.

Source: ANSA (Italian news agency),

A new addition to the Safety21 family. The Group has finalised the acquisition of the company branch, ServiceNet Sas, creating ServiceNet21 Srl.

The acquisition represents an important step forward in Safety21’s business model and its strategy to reach the whole of Italy. ServiceNet21 will be developing the market in northern Italy, with particular focus on the regions of Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany, as well as providing continuity of service to the ten or so municipalities and provincial clients where around 20 detection devices are installed.

“This acquisition is part of Safety21’s progression from pioneer to market leader,” CEO Gianluca Longo commented. “Today, we represent a group of companies able to meet the highest standards of service using advanced technological solutions to enable Public Authorities to effectively promote road safety prevention and monitoring policies. For this reason, our continuous investment in innovation and the extension of our business, with the addition of new partners and resources, represents our company’s present and future-oriented expansion.