Within the scenario of the health and economic crisis exploded in 2020, mobility and road accidents had deep changes, with possible effects also in the near future.
In 2020, following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, an exceptional decrease in road accidents and injured involved. The lockdown period enacted by government decrees to contain the spread of infections, resulted in the almost total block of mobility and circulation from March to late May and subsequently also in the winter months, to contrast the second pandemic wave, significantly affecting road accidents trend.
In 2020 there were 2,395 deaths in road accidents in Italy (within 30 days of the event), down by 24.5% and 159,249 injured (-34%). Road accidents amount to 118,298, in drastic decrease compared to 2019 (-31.3%). Seriously injured are also sharply down, if compared to 2019, with 14,102 cases and a decrease of 20%, smaller than the decrease of victims and injured overall. The ratio of serious injuries out of deaths is equal to 5.9, slightly higher than the average values recorded in the previous five years, before the Covid-19 era.
The number of victims fall for all road users, but the occupants of heavy vehicles (117; -14.6%), motorcyclists (586; -16.0%) and pedestrians (409; -23.4%) record the smallest decreases. Among the other users, the victims occupants of cars decrease by 27.9% (1,018), those on mopeds by 33% (59), cyclists recorded, finally, a percentage change equal to -30.4% (176). In 2020 also the first victim on an electric scooter is recorded.
The decrease in road accidents affects all road areas; the most significant decline is recorded on motorways with -39.9%, followed by built-up area roads (-31.7%) and rural roads (-27.5%). Fatalities decreased by 37.1% on motorways (195), by 25.7% on rural roads (1. 139) and with a lower percentage on built-up area roads (-20.3%; 1,061).