2023 was the first real year of normality after the pandemic, with Italians’ travel habits returning to normal levels, comparable to those of 2019. It is therefore not surprising that – according to what was photographed by Road accident report 2023 published by Aci and Istat – some items have risen. But much less than one might expect.
Looking at the numbers, in fact, there have been fewer accidents along Italian roads and highways, while deaths and injuries have decreased.
Situation improved
Here are the numbers from the report on accidents in Italy in 2023
| Anno | Accidents | Dead | Wounded |
| 2023 | 166.525 | 3.039 | 224.634 |
| 2022 | 165.889 | 3.159 | 223.475 |
| 2019 | 172.183 | 3.173 | 241.384 |
A situation slightly improving therefore if compared to 2019, the reference year for the decade 2021-2030.
Going into detail, the daily average was 456 accidents (19 every hour), 615 injured (25.6 every hour) and 8.3 deaths (1 every 3 hours), for a social cost equal to 18 billion euros, that is, 1% of the national GDP.
Looking instead at the single months the worst one was July 2023with 16,536 accidents, 346 deaths and 22,486 injuries. Statistics that perhaps are not surprising, given the classic start of the summer exodus with critical traffic situations. The “best” month was instead February: 10,946 accidents, 192 deaths and 14,707 injured.
Looking at the days of the week the worst is the Friday (26,673 accidents), the best on Sunday (18,829 accidents) while in terms of hours the one with the highest number of accidents is 6pm (13,247), while 5am on average recorded 1,278.
Accidents in Italy in 2023, the Regions
The data collected and published by Aci and Istat have also photographed the situation of the accidents divided by region
| Region | Accidents | Dead | Wounded |
| Piedmont | 10.028 | 178 | 13.917 |
| Valle d’Aosta | 289 | 5 | 411 |
| Lombardy | 29.190 | 377 | 38.028 |
| Province of Bolzano | 1.767 | 36 | 2.310 |
| Province of Trento | 1.289 | 35 | 1.759 |
| Trentino Alto Adige | 3.056 | 71 | 4.069 |
| Veneto | 12.774 | 309 | 16.994 |
| Friuli Venezia Giulia | 3.187 | 56 | 4.122 |
| Liguria | 7.530 | 55 | 9.194 |
| Emilia Romagna | 16.809 | 279 | 21.818 |
| Tuscany | 14.933 | 202 | 19.099 |
| Umbria | 2.280 | 45 | 3.136 |
| Marche | 4.956 | 89 | 6.727 |
| Lazio | 19.929 | 346 | 26.258 |
| Abruzzo | 2.974 | 72 | 4.155 |
| Campania | 10.242 | 220 | 14.676 |
| Puglia | 9.843 | 232 | 14.918 |
| Basilicata | 968 | 27 | 1.516 |
| Calabria | 2.840 | 109 | 4.385 |
| Sicily | 10.830 | 241 | 15.855 |
| Sardinia | 3.391 | 110 | 4.619 |
| Total Italy | 166.525 | 3.039 | 224.634 |
The Region with the highest number of accidents it is Lombardy – the most populous in Italy – the safest instead is Basilicata (whose inhabitants are less than half of those of Milan) with 968 accidents during 2023.
Accidents in Italy, the causes
As repeatedly highlighted by other surveys and statistics, the main cause of accidents in Italy is to be found in distractions while driving, responsible for 15.1% of the total, followed by failure to give way or give traffic lights (12.9%) and excessive speed (8.4%), for a total of 80,057 accidents, equal to 36.5%.
Behaviors that led to 18.7 thousand fines per dayfor a total of 6.8 in all of 2023, with no parking and speeding being the most commonly sanctioned behaviors, followed by failure to comply with horizontal signs and traffic lights.
Source: it.motor1.com
