Naples: 46-year-old man hit by car at pedestrian crossing in critical condition

Napoli - Yet another serious traffic accident has rocked Naples, reigniting the dramatic debate over pedestrian safety in the city. This afternoon, around 15:00 PM, a 46-year-old man was struck near a crosswalk on Via Mario Palermo, in the Ponticelli neighborhood, and is now hospitalized with critical condition at the Ospedale del Mare.

The man was struck by a Renault Captur driven by a 63-year-old man. The impact was violent, and the pedestrian's condition immediately appeared to be extremely serious. Local Police, who responded with their Road Accident Unit, have initiated investigations to determine the exact circumstances, while the driver has undergone routine drug tests.

A revoked license and a seized vehicle are the immediate precautionary measures provided for in these cases.

The pedestrian crisis and the investment response

This accident adds to a dramatic list that highlights the continuing critical state of road safety in Naples. Recent statistics are alarming, with the city recording a high number of pedestrian fatalities and injuries. Suffice it to say that a significant percentage of road fatalities are hit at crosswalks.

Faced with this emergency, the municipal administration has implemented significant investments and an intervention plan focused specifically on protecting crossings:

Raised and Illuminated Pedestrian Crossings: To force vehicles to slow down and make crossings more visible, new raised and, in some cases, illuminated crossings have been installed in high-risk areas. Targeted interventions have involved, for example, areas such as Via Petrarca, Via Caravaggio, and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with a total cost of approximately €100.000 for just one phase of this work.

"Hi-Tech" Signage: In several areas of the city (from Via Marina to Mergellina, up to Piazza Carlo III), a vast modernization of pedestrian crossings has been started with the use of elastoplastic materials and preformed laminates.

Risk Mitigation Plans: The Administration, in collaboration with the Prefecture, has approved projects totaling €950.000 for approximately 60 interventions. These include the installation of speed bumps, traffic lights, bollards, and raised crossings in all ten municipalities, targeting the roads with the highest accident rates. Roads such as Via Caracciolo and Corso Umberto have been affected by improvements to crossings and the creation of protected bike lanes.

Limited Speed ​​Zones: The establishment of "Zone 30" zones, areas with a maximum permitted speed of 30 km/h, is planned, such as the experimental one in the Luzzatti district, to achieve overall traffic calming.

Despite this mobilization of economic and planning resources, which aims to radically transform the city's signage and passive safety, news bulletins continue to record accidents like the one in Ponticelli.

Today's tragedy, in fact, echoes other recent incidents, such as the hit-and-run of an 80-year-old man on Via Leopardi, which occurred on the same crossing where another woman had previously lost her life.

Frequent investments highlight how simply upgrading the lane markings and installing speed bumps, while essential, are insufficient to address the root cause of the problem.

It is crucial that structural improvements be accompanied by increased traffic controls and a thorough public awareness campaign, so that respecting traffic laws becomes a cultural priority, not just an obligation. Time is running out, and for many Neapolitan pedestrians, crossing the street remains a dangerous gamble.