A pedestrian killed every sixteen hours. This is the frightening rate at which 2026 has begun on Italian roads, where in January alone, 47 people were killed by pedestrians struck. The alarm was raised by the special ASAPS-Sapidata Observatory, confirming a trend already dramatic in the final months of last year: between November, December, and January, there were a total of 139 victims.
The most striking data concerns pedestrian crossings. More than half of the deaths, 25 out of 47, occurred at crosswalks, places that should represent the very symbol of pedestrian safety. In other cases, pedestrians were even struck while walking on the sidewalk, a sign of increasingly widespread vulnerability in urban spaces.
The victims are predominantly men, 36 compared to 11 women, but their age paints an even more worrying picture. A full 24 of them were over 65, confirming that the elderly are the most vulnerable and vulnerable group when it comes to road safety. In the last week alone, two people over 65 have been fatally hit.
Comparisons with previous years leave little room for optimism. In January 2025, there were 43 pedestrian deaths, compared to 39 two years ago. These were already serious numbers, which are now being surpassed, while the incidence of hit-and-run driving remains high. The latest incident occurred in Calabria, bringing to five the number of cases since the beginning of the year in which the driver fled without providing assistance after being hit.
At the regional level, Lombardy and Piedmont lead this tragic ranking with seven deaths each. Puglia follows with five deaths, Sicily and Lazio with four, while several other regions have recorded lower but still significant numbers, demonstrating a widespread phenomenon across the peninsula.
This situation is part of an already dire national trend. According to ISTAT data, 470 pedestrians were killed in 2024. ASAPS's preliminary estimate for 2025 puts the number at 434. Experts point out that these figures are still partial, as they do not include the seriously injured, who often die in the hospital weeks or months after the accident. A trail of blood continues to flow almost silently, while crossing the street remains an increasingly risky daily activity.
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Comments (1)
It's deeply worrying to read about these ever-increasing numbers. Road safety should be a priority for authorities, but it seems there isn't enough attention to this serious problem. Something must be done.