Traffic police, 1,313 deaths in accidents in 2021

The Traffic Police takes stock of the activities carried out in 2021: 440,379 patrols employed in road surveillance from 1 January to 22 December 2021 who carried out 1,457,383 checks of people and contesting 1,662,540 infringements of the highway code. Violations ascertained for speeding were 598,530, 23,431 driving licenses and 33,590 registration papers were withdrawn. The driving license points deducted were 2,708,140. Drivers controlled with breathalyzers and precursors were 327,443, of which 9,371 were sanctioned for driving under the influence of alcohol while those reported for driving under the influence of drugs were 798. 74 vehicles were seized for confiscation. 150 sections controlled by the Traffic Police with the new Tutors,entered into operation from December 2021, for a total of approximately 1,442 km of controlled motorway carriageways. Injuries recorded an increase compared to 2020. In particular, against an increase in the overall accident rate of 26.7% (64,162 accidents against 50,625 in 2020), fatal accidents (1,238) and fatalities (1,313) increased respectively of 15.5% and 14.1% while accidents with injuries (26,022) and injured persons (37,268) of 26.9% and 25.7%. The trend is in line with the data published by ISTAT in the "preliminary estimate" referring to the first half of 2021 which, compared to the same period of 2020, records an increase in the number of road accidents with personal injuries (65,116, equal to +31 , 3%), of the injured (85,647, + 28.1%) and of the victims within the thirtieth day (1,239, + 22.3%).

    The comparison with 2020, however, is not really representative of the trend of road accidents due to the bans imposed on mobility for the containment of the pandemic. In fact, compared to the data of 2019, the trend of the accident phenomenon detected by the Traffic Police and Arma dei Carabinieri is in any case decreasing: the overall accident rate decreases by 11.6%, fatal accidents and victims decrease by 15.4% and 17.9% as well as accidents with injuries and injured persons of 16.7% and 22%.

    Controls continued in the professional transport sector which involved 4,620 operators, including policemen and employees of the Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility, who checked 5,905 heavy vehicles, ascertained 6,274 infringements and collected 66 driving licenses and 169 registration papers. The judicial police activity was also particularly effective, making it possible to bring a total of 15,628 people to justice, of which 865 were arrested and 14,763 reported in a state of freedom. Almost 5 tons of drugs seized (last year they were 347 kg), 394 vehicles subject to recycling seized and another 525 identified.

    There were 2,498 public establishments audited and the infringements detected were 2,294.

"We are satisfied with the available data, even if we are already projected to do better - commented Paolo Maria Pomponio, director of the Traffic Police Service of the Department of Public Safety - The goal to be achieved is to halve the number of road deaths by 2030 , to then reset it by 2050 ".

"Driving is not a joke, but a very serious thing. Those who drive, from bicycles to scooters but also trucks, are as if they had a loaded weapon in their hand, ready to explode; they must be handled with care. A moment's inattention is enough. and the shot goes off, hitting whoever - concludes Pomponio - is on the trajectory. Let's never forget that ".