The research, by CSA Research – Corporate Statistics Center, consisted of interviews on a sample of 4 thousand road users and more than 3,500 direct observations of driving behavior along six different types of roads

Anas, the Italian national state roads company, has always been at the forefront of ensuring the safety of citizens along its network of highways and state roads. Through its ongoing commitment and investment in maintenance and technological innovation, the company (part of the Ferrovie dello Stato Group, the Italian railway company) can ensure greater prevention and vigilance for travelers on its infrastructure, ensuring its safety and resilience in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. However, it is equally essential to build a relationship with the users of the arterial roads through a strong act of prevention, information and road safety education, especially towards the youngest, the drivers of the future.

For this reason, for several years, Anas has been commissioning research on road users’ driving styles, and this year, for the fourth time, CSA Research – Corporate Statistics Center conducted the edition with interviews on a sample of 4 thousand people and more than 3,500 direct observations on the road.

According to the research, for 51% of Italians it is not dangerous to exceed speed limits. Only 34.7% think it is useful to respect them, while 16.4% believe that an experienced driver can exceed them.

The survey was presented in November 2024 at the international conference “Road Safety: target zero fatalities” organized by Anas, PIARC Italia – World Road Association, under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and in collaboration with the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety of the United Nations and the EuroMed Transport Support Project, on the occasion of the World Day in Remembrance of Road Victims. 

Among the respondents, 11.4% believe that while driving “something else can also be done”, while only 55.4% of the sample is convinced that road accidents depend on wrong behavior.

60.1% of respondents believe that the new Highway Code is helpful. Only 72.5% think alcohol and drugs are always dangerous, while 8.4% believe they are irrelevant to driving. 

Behavior on cell phone use while driving improves: the research shows a 7.4% use of the cell phone compared to 9.6% in 2023 and 10.3% in 2022. The under-40s, however, worsen the figure: 9.9% use it versus 5.6% of the over-60s.

“The data that emerged from this year’s Anas Research on Driving Styles,” said Anas CEO Aldo Isi, “demonstrate the need for more and more investment in road education and awareness of risks and dangers behind the wheel. In addition to a great commitment to continuing to raise users’ awareness of the importance of prudent, safe and distraction-free driving, Anas is working to enhance even more the safety standards of its network in the guarantee, as always, of ordinary infrastructure maintenance but also focusing on technological innovation. Investments in planned maintenance are now increasingly significant,” stresses engineer Isi, “in the first half of 2024 they were about 780 million, 115 million more than in the same period of 2023. In detail, in the first six months of 2024 for planned maintenance €318 million was spent on major works of infrastructure (bridges and viaducts); €184 million on roadway resurfacing; €129 million on complementary works; €88 million on safety barriers; and €62 million on facilities.”