Motorway Accidents and Deaths Rise 7% in Italy in 2024: Istat

Rome: Road accidents in Italy saw a notable increase in 2024, particularly on motorways where the number of crashes rose by 6.9% and fatalities by 7.1% compared to 2023.

According to Ansa News Agency, the national statistics agency Istat reported that overall road accidents increased by 4.1%. In 2024, Italy recorded 173,364 road accidents involving injuries, resulting in 3,030 fatalities and 233,853 injuries. Istat highlighted that the most common causes of these accidents were distraction, failure to give way, and excessive speed, which together accounted for 37.8% of all incidents, totaling 85,339 cases. These driving behaviors have remained consistent over time.

Excessive speed was noted as the second most frequent traffic violation after illegal parking, comprising 34% of all traffic offenses. There was a slight decline in fines for not using seatbelts and child restraint systems, while fines for not wearing helmets increased. Authorities continued to issue a significant number of fines for improper use of in-vehicle devices, and there was an increase in fines for drug-impaired driving, although fines for drunk driving slightly decreased.

Istat also reported that the social cost of road accidents involving injuries in 2024 amounted to just over 18 billion euros, which is nearly 1% of Italy’s national GDP.