ITTRENDS OF ROAD ACCIDENTS IN ITALY 1996-2005
Carlo PUTIGNANO
Head of “Transport Statistics”, Istat, National Statistical Institute of Italy, Rome, Italy(Received February 8, 2007)

1. GENERAL TRENDS OF ROAD TRAFFICACCIDENTS
The number of road accidents and injuries slightly
decreased (-1.8% and -2.7%) in 2005 compared to 2004.
The number of fatalities fell by 4.7% over the same
period, this lead to a total number of 5,426 killed1. Analysis of road accidents in the past decade indicates an increasing trend of the number of accidents and injuries in1996-2002. In 2003, a radical reduction in the number of
the accidents, injuries, and and fatalities occurred.
Table 1 shows that the number of road accidents
and injuries reached the maximum in 2002, and decreased
in 2003 and 2004; the number of fatalities decreased also
in 2005.
Information on the number of registered vehicles isgiven in Table 1. The number of registered vehicles has

increased except in 2004, which was the result of an economic downturn. If accident trends are considered, thenumber of fatalities and injuries per 100,000 vehicles(Table 1), has been decreasing since 1999. This is because road accidents were increasing during the period
1996-1999, as well as the number of registered vehicles.
However, since 1999 the rate of accident increase has notbeen as great as the increaseing trend of new vehicle registerations.
Figure 1 shows the number index of accidents, registered vehicles and accidents per 100,000 vehicles. The
number of accidents has shown a decreasing trend in recent years. However, registeration of new vehicles has
been constantly increasing and accidents per 100,000 vehicles has shown a marked decreasing trend.
Moreover, there is one constant lessening the severity of accidents, as evidenced from the mortality index

Table 1 Accidents, fatalities, injuries, registered vehicles and rates
YearAccidents

1996

190,0681997

190,0311998

204,615

1999

225,646

2000
2001

Fatalities

Injuries

RegisteredvehiclesAccidents rate per
100,000 registeredvehiclesFatalities rate per
100,000 registeredvehiclesInjuries rate
per 100,000
vehicles

6,193

272,115

37,471.127

507.2

16.5

726.2

6,226

270,962

37,838.351

502.2

16.5

716.1

6,342

293,842

38,221.545

535.3

16.6

768.8

6,688

322,999

39,627.179

569.4

16.9

815.1

229,034

6,649

321,796

40,743.777

562.1

16.3

789.8

235,409

6,691

335,029

41,936.627

561.3

16.0

798.9

2002

239,354

6,739

341,660

42,950.325

557.3

15.7

795.5

2003

231,740

6,065

327,324

44,078.935

525.7

13.8

742.6

2004

229,156

5,692

322,447

43,950.907

510.9

12.8

720.4

2005

225,078

5,426

313,727

45,185.101

499.5

12.0

694.3

130.0
125.0
120.0
115.0
110.0
105.0
100.0
1996

1997

1998

Accidents

19992000Veihcles

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Accidents per 100,000 veihcles

Fig. 1 Number index of accidents, registered veihcles and accidents perveihcles (base 1996 =100)

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4.0
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Fig. 2 Fatalities per 100 road accidents(number of killed per 100 accidents). As Figure 2 shows,
it is attested to 2.4 in 2005 against 3.2 in 1996. The fatality rate has been falling constantly, also as an absolutevalue. This means that accidents have become less dangerous, partly due to improvements introduced in vehicle
construction by manufacturers (both for active and passive safety measures), and partly due to improvements ofthe health care services (especially in terms of prompt
intervention).

2. ROAD SAFETY MEASURES SINCE 2003
The Act no. 1512, which modified the Road Rules,
was put into force on 30 June 2003. Some of the remarkable new rules are:– Driver’s License Point System;– driver’s license for mopeds;– new speed limits (150 km/hour on the 3-lane motorways);– tighten the penalty for infractions (between the others: exceeding the speed limit, dangerous overtaking,etc.);– the obligation of lateral reflecting strips for trucks toincrease visibility;– new instruments for the measurement of alcohol concentration;– the obligation for daylight use of headlights on all extra-urban roads.
The main reason for the road accident decreasesince 2003 was the introduction of a Drivers License
Point System. (Under this system every driver receives
20 points with a licence, and certain points are deductedbased on the type of violation. If a driver lost all thepoints, the license is suspended for one or two years, andthe driver has to renew the license.)

3. MAIN ANALYSES
Table 2 shows, in 2005 on urban roads 172,422
accidents occurred (76.6% of the total), and caused
228,109 injuries (72.7% of the total). The number offatalities on urban roads was 2,417 in absolute value or
44.5% of the total.
The number of fatalities per 100 accidents is smaller in urban areas and motorways than that on other roads(Fig. 3).

Table 2 Accidents, fatalities, injuries by type of road
Type of road

Urban area

1996

2005

%2005/1996

Accidents

Fatalities

Injuries

Accidents

Fatalities

Injuries

Accidents

133,168

2,633

181,391

172,4222,417

228,109

Fatalities

Injuries

29.5

-8.2

25.8
17.5

Motorways

11,546698

20,30514,006577

23,857

21.3

-17.3

Other roads

38,701

2,862

62,51738,6502,432

61,761

-0.1

-15.0

-1.2

Total

183,415

6,193

264,213225,078

5,426

313,727

22.7

-12.4

18.7

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In the last ten years the percentage of fatalies per
100 accidents has decreased on motorways and otherroads; whereas it is increasing in urban areas (Fig. 4).
As Table 3 shows, there are different levels of risk
among different types of road users: in 2005 driver fatali-ties were 3,637, passengers 1,086 and pedestrians 703.
Figure 5 shows the comparison of fatalities by roaduser type in 1996 and 2005. Driver fatalities increased
from 63.4% in 1996 to 67.0% in 2005. However, passenger fatalities decreased from 21.9% (1996) to 20.0%76543210Urban areaMotorways

Other roads

Fig. 3 Fatalities per 100 accidents - Year 2005

Urban area

Motorways

Other roads

2005

1996

0%

10%

20%30%40%50%60%70%

80%

90%

100%

Fig. 4 Fatalities by type of road

Table 3 Road fatalities per road users - 1996-2005
Year

Drivers

Passengers

Fatalities

Injured

Fatalities

Injured

1996

3,927

180,252

1,352

1997

4,063

182,860

1,335

1998

4,022

201,890

1999

4,427

218,710

2000

4,290

2001

Pedestrians

Total

Fatalities

Injured

Fatalities

Injured

76,003914

15,8606,193

272,115

72,600828

15,502

6,226

270,962

1,537

76,311783

15,641

6,342

293,842

1,414

87,283847

17,006

6,688

322,999

218,774

1,462

84,703897

18,3196,649

321,796

4,263

229,773

1,496

87,175932

18,081

6,691

335,029

2002

4,134

234,686

1,442

89,117

1,163

17,857

6,739

341,660

2003

3,971

225,571

1,313

83,977781

17,776

6,065

327,324

2004

3,750

219,384

1,165

78,961710

18,285

5,625

316,630

2005

3,637

222,006

1,086

72,727703

18,994

5,426

313,727

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DriversPassengersPedestrians

2005

1996

0%20%

40%60%80%100%

Fig. 5 Fatalities per group of road user – 1996-2005

600
MaleFemale

500
400
300
200
100–

0–

14–

16–

18–

21–

25–

30

–

35

–

40–

45

–

50

–

55

–

60

–

65

–

70

–

75

–

0
13

15

17

20

24

29

34

39

44

49

54

59

64

69

74

79

80
84

85+

Fig. 6 Distribution of age and sex of drivers killed(2005), and pedestrian fatalities also decreased from
20.0% (1996) to 11.4% (2005).
Figure 6 shows young drivers represent the mostcritical hight-risk group. In 2005 driver fatalities were
the highest among 25-29 year-olds (565 deaths), followed by the 30-34 year-olds (440) and 21-24 year-olds(376). In terms of driver injuries of the above age groups,
34,276 (25-29 year-olds), 31,017 (30-34 year-olds) and
24,882 (21-24 year-olds).

4.	CONCLUSION
There has been a considerable decrease in the number of accidents and injuries, and a drastic decrease infatalities during the period 1996-2005 in Italy. Since theintroduction of the Driver’s License Point System, a decrease in the number of accidents as well as an attenua-tion of negative consequences of road accidents wasobserved. Therefore, the modifications introduced to theRoad Rules, tightening the penalties and widening thepowers of assessment by the police forces, surely contributed to improving road users’ behaviour. The effectsof the Driver’s License Point System, however, seems tohave been reduced in recent years. The government strategies include “Fatalities Reduction Target to 50% by2010”; however, we have to define more realistic goals
on the bases of recent figures.

REFERENCES
1. ISTAT, Incidenti stradali – Anno2005, Statistiche in breve del 27 novembre 2006.
2. DL n. 151 del 27 giugno 2003 e legge n. 214 del 1 agosto 2003.

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