Safety Interventions, Technologies and Tools

Paving and Draining Asphalt

Infrastructure maintenance is crucial to ensure customers can enjoy safe and comfortable travel. This is why Autostrade per l'Italia is constantly committed to guaranteeing operational efficiency and increasing safety standards on its complex and extensive network. Healthy paving is one the key elements for safety.

To date, about 100% of the network granted under concession is covered with draining asphalt, a covering developed to prevent wheels from getting into contact with water, with the exception of areas where this measure is deemed inappropriate (mountain roads, tunnels, road sections being widened).

High-frequency accident locations (PISM: Punti a Incidentalità Superiori alla Media)

To reduce the number of accidents at locations classified as PISM, i.e. road sections characterized by an above-average number of accidents, more than 2,000 specific interventions have been carried out over the years (230 in 2023), such as the installation of warning signs, light systems, special paving, etc.

Tunnel Safety

As part of its plan to comply with EU and national legislation, Autostrade per l'Italia has adopted additional measures in certain tunnels along its network to protect the safety of users and workers. These include, among the others, the introduction of specific speed limits, and minimum spacing between vehicles, indicated by special signs along the route.

Anti-crossing nets

Central anti-crossing nets have been installed on all viaducts with separate carriageways (around 300 km), which allowed eliminating accidental fatalities.

Fencing networks

To reduce accidents caused by the intrusion of animals onto the road, ASPI has continued its plan to upgrade fencing networks¹. In 2023, anti-intrusion networks were upgraded on approximately 340 km, reaching over 1400 km of coverage since 2019. In 2023, accidents caused by impacts with animals along the entire network dropped by around 25% compared to the average of the previous three years.

¹i.e. upgrading the anti-boar intrusion fences, replacing standard nets with wildlife nets and combinations of several interventions.

Rumble strips and special micro rumble strips (so-called microcumuli)

To reduce incursion/skid due to distraction or microsleep, systems like rumble strips and micro rumble strips were installed for about 231 km in 2023, covering more than 500 km.

Wrong way signage

Directional arrows are placed on the pavement of the network's 266 junctions at locations where drivers may confuse travel directions. At all motorway entrances (toll gates, service areas, car parks) there are also 1,000 deterrent signs with photometric and dimensional devices to prevent wrong-way entry.

Emergency pitch signage

Specific signs are installed on the network to prevent users from incorrectly using emergency pitches as lay-bys. For prolonged stops in the event of an emergency, customers are provided with road signs to identify the most suitable areas to park their vehicles.

Worksite signage upgrade

To improve traffic safety at motorway worksites and to reduce risks for operators, Autostrade per l'Italia has upgraded its worksite signage, supplementing the standards required by current regulations.

Crash cushions

Autostrade per l'Italia has introduced crash cushions (supplementary to current regulations) as additional protection for slow-moving work sites on transit lanes. There are currently 30 crash cushions in operation distributed over the entire network.

SOS Columns

Motorway users are never left alone: the traffic police and service staff are ready to intervene at any time thanks to the S.O.S. columns installed along the emergency lanes, approximately every two kilometres.

The SOS columns allow a mechanical and/or medical emergency call to be generated once the corresponding button is pressed.

The request, associated with the kilometre from which it was sent, is received by the competent local radio room (Radio Information Centre).

Thanks to GSM technology, the Radio Information Centre Operator contacts the user by speakerphone, both to collect information on the type of vehicle to be sent and, in the event of broken-down vehicle, on any preferences regarding the authorised party from which the mechanical rescue service is to be received. While waiting, stay close to the column: you will always be visible even in the event of fog, even at night as the column emits a flashing light that activates in the event of a call for health assistance.

Traffic Police

With more than 70 patrols operating at the same time, the Traffic Police ensures vigilance across the network, guaranteeing prompt assistance to drivers in collaboration with Autostrade per l'Italia personnel and protecting road safety.

INITIATIVES IN COOPERATION WITH THE TRAFFIC POLICE

To prevent road traffic accidents, Autostrade per l'Italia works in cooperation with the Traffic Police to implement annual initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns, including events, the provision of training materials, and opportunities for discussion and debate. In particular:

• communication campaigns are promoted through the main channels and touchpoints such as TV, radio, newspapers, motorway service areas and online.  The main campaigns take place during the summer holidays, with the activities organised in certain service areas focusing on good driving practices, the use of seat belts for all passengers, and the importance of a nutritious diet and a healthy sleeping pattern. The activities also disincentivise impaired driving through impaired driving simulations using special visors;
• awareness-raising campaigns aim to promote good driving practices directly in Italian schools - mainly secondary schools - located in the regions crossed by the motorway network. The objective is to reach as many students as possible and encourage them to become part of a zero-accident future, educating them on safety before, during and after driving;
• alcohol and drug test campaigns are conducted using a mobile laboratory provided by Autostrade per l’Italia to the Traffic Police. The lab is used to carry out second level on-the-spot checks, ascertaining any cases of impairment among road users to prevent and disincentivise driving under the influence. Under the initiative, which started in 2020 and will be renewed continuously until 2027, approximately 40 interventions are conducted each year at motorway junctions or service areas, at night on weekends or during daytime hours on weekdays, depending on the type of traffic and the time of year. With the help of specialised medical personnel, the on-board equipment in the mobile lab can process the result of the analysis of the saliva sample within minutes, enabling Traffic Police patrols to ascertain the violation on the spot;
• creation of Safety Points, specific places dedicated to highlighting road safety issues and promoting correct driving behaviour, the first of which was set up in the “Casilina Est” service area;
• the activation of RTM posts (Remote Tachograph Monitoring), which remotely intercept potentially non-compliant HGVs (tampered tachographs, failure to comply with driving times, ...) and support the Traffic Police during monitoring activities;
• the activation of a dedicated control point for Exceptional Loads and Heavy Goods Vehicles at the “Milan Est” barrier on the A4 motorway, equipped with 3D scanning lasers and a static weighing system to identify the mass and volume of vehicles. This tool optimises monitoring procedures and enables Traffic Police teams and patrols to intervene, thus reducing crossing times and further implementing the safety systems of travellers and lorry drivers;
• annual renewal of the snow emergency management plan, in conjunction with the Traffic Police, which aims to emphasise Autostrade per l'Italia's commitment to the personnel and vehicles deployed to manage emergencies, as well as provide a series of useful tips when travelling on motorways in snowy conditions;
• the extension of the Tutor average speed-check system, with current coverage reaching approximately 1,800 km of the Autostrade per l'Italia network.

Mechanical Assistance

In the event of an accident or breakdown of your vehicle on the Autostrade per l'Italia network, you can use the following toll-free telephone numbers to request mechanical assistance, choosing one of the authorised organisations:

Autostrade per l'Italia authorises industry operators holding the mandatory legal requirements to provide the mechanical breakdown service. Such operators, based upon the authorisation granted, are expressly required, in the event of an accident or breakdown with a vehicle stationary on the carriageway or on the access or exit ramps or in the emergency lane, if less than 3 metres wide, to intervene within 20 minutes for light vehicles and 30 minutes for heavy vehicles.

Download maximum motorway mechanical assistance charges