Road safety education programs, aimed at both younger and more mature generations, aim to build models of virtuous behavior on the roads and, consequently, reduce accidents.
Furthermore, controlling road accidents is one of the objectives of the European Commission, with member countries having to halve deaths and serious injuries by 2030, and eliminate them by 2050. According to the latest report ISTAT revealed a 3.8% reduction in deaths in Italy in 2023 compared to 2022.
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This figure is encouraging when compared with the similar reduction of 4.2% observed when comparing 2023 and 2019. The latter is indeed the year on which to calculate progress made with regard to the above-mentioned European targets. However, their achievement risks being compromised by the lack of action to establish the foundations of road safety education within the community.
BuoneNotizie.it has gathered for you the point of view of two experts on the subject.
Road safety and accidents: the situation in Italy
Although ISTAT recorded fewer deaths in 2023 compared to the previous year, accidents (+0.4%) and injuries (+0.5%) increased slightly. The 2023 data, however, cCompared to those of 2019, they are reassuring, denoting a decrease in the number of victims, accidents and injuries, respectively 4.2%, 3.3% and 6.9%.
Among those who died in 2023, there were 3,039 compared to 3,159 in 2022 and 3,173 in 2019, the number of scooter and bicycle drivers has increased. The number of pedestrians remains stable, while other users decrease. A deficit road education, necessary to prevent accidents, since the most frequent incorrect behaviors involve distractions, refusal to give way and excessive speeds. They constitute 36.4% of cases, with 92.9% of accidents caused by bad behavior of drivers and pedestrians.
Giordano Biserni: “Road safety is a cultural issue”
We all need to be more aware of road risks, to ensure future generations have a safe mobility we need to engage collectively in road safety education.
To ensure safe mobility for future generations, everyone must engage in road safety education (photo by Richard Sagredo from Unsplash)
Institutions, owners and road concessionaires must also contribute, not only by carrying out checks, but also by modernising technologies and infrastructure.
Giordano Biserni, president of the Association of Supporters of Friends of the Traffic Police (ASAPS), said that “Road safety is a cultural issue, but institutions are not dealing with training as they should. In fact, in 2022, only 0.027% of the proceeds from fines were allocated to road education.”
New rules also for road safety education
Last March, the House approved stricter traffic rules, currently under consideration in the Senate. These provide for the introduction of certain measures, such as the short suspension of the license, as well as various obligations for scooter drivers.
Furthermore, accidents will also be combated by training: students will indeed get 2 free points on your driving license, provided that you take road safety education coursesThis will be added to other initiatives of the Ministry of Education and Merit, including Edustrada, an interactive platform that allows schools to join the training offer of the main institutions involved in mobility security.
However, given that 449 amendments were presented to the regulation approved by the House, it is difficult to predict the wording of the new regulation.
Edward von Freymann and the role of the victims' families
“In addition to road safety education, immediate sanctions are necessary,” reported Edward von Freymann. He was the victim of a car accident twice. In fact, he lost the use of his legs after a motorcycle accident, but he even had to endure the loss of his daughter Gaia, hit by a drunk driver on a pedestrian crossing.
He named a Foundation after Gaia so as not to undo his death. “I would like to make children understand the preciousness of life” he added, concluding: “I feel a huge satisfaction when, after the match, the boys hug me”.
The commitment made by Edward von Freymann and other victims' families is an example of how, transform pain and anger into love for future generations, It is possible, through road safety education, to raise awareness among young people, and not only them, of the risks on the road.
