Reacting to a grim collision in Puglia at the weekend which left three cyclists dead, the president of the Italian Cycling Federation has blamed the rising death rate on Italy’s roads on “motorists having less patience and being in more of a hurry”.
Cordiano Dagnoni spoke with The Times after the number of cyclists to die on Italy’s roads in 2025 reached 130 on Sunday morning, a “record” rate for this time of year which is on track to far eclipse the 185 deaths suffered last year.
The nation’s cycling federation president has questioned attitudes towards cyclists and blamed road users’ impatience and intolerance for putting bicycle riders in danger.
“Motorists will slow down if they are behind a tractor but for some reason cannot stand to slow down for cyclists and increasingly resort to insults,” he said. “Motorists don’t want to lose a minute, but don’t understand that thanks to their driving a cyclist could lose their life.
“Italy is pushing green transport like bicycling but has forgotten to install the bike lanes you see in northern Europe, and I don’t just mean painted lines on the road.”
Adding to the sentiment of people concerned about dangerous attitudes towards cyclists on Italian roads, a radio DJ called Linus who is also a cyclist said recently that “sometimes even children insult us”.
“They roll down the window and yell at us to move to the right, encouraged — I believe — by their parents who are probably on their phones,” he said.
And it seems the worrying attitudes go all the way to the top of society, Italian politician Vittorio Feltri having distastefully commented last year that he “only likes cyclists when they get run over”.
Italy’s cyclist death toll is up 22 per cent on this time last year and is already 45 ahead of the 85 cyclists who died on UK roads in the entirety of 2024, that despite Italy having a smaller population by approximately 10 million people. Overall road deaths were almost double the UK number in Italy last year and Italian statistics agency Istat has said the top three reasons for crashes were distracted drivers, an unwillingness to give way to vehicles which had right of way, and excessive speed.
In January there was anger and calls for road safety reform and education after a teenage racing cyclist was killed by an overtaking motorist during a training ride.
19-year-old Sara Piffer, who was set to enter her second year with UCI Continental team Mendelspeck, was training with her brother in the northern Italian region of Trentino when she was fatally struck.
Her father, Lorenzo, told the press that Italy’s roads are a “Wild West”.
“I’d say we need more common sense. Unfortunately, they always realise it too late. Maybe to gain that minute they put other people’s lives at risk. I see things getting worse on the roads,” he reacted.
Memory of the deaths of high-profile pro cyclists Michele Scarponi and Davide Rebellin is still painful for the Italian cycling community, the lorry driver responsible for Rebellin’s death having been jailed for four years in October.
In March, an Italian professional cyclist said he is now “scared” to train on local roads after he was threatened, pushed off his bike, and punched in the face by motorbike-riding thugs at the end of a training ride with his brother, in what appeared to be two random, completely unprovoked attacks.
Luca Colnaghi, who races for UCI ProTeam VF Group-Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè, suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractures to his ribs in the back-to-back assaults, the second of which took place as he attempted to retrieve his earphones from the scene, only to find his attacker and a friend waiting for him.
That came just months after Giro d’Italia stage winner Domenico Pozzovivo called for Italy’s laws on cycling two abreast to be changed, that after the 42-year-old was stopped and fined €18.50 by police for riding side-by-side with fellow pro Diego Ulissi.
17 thoughts on ““Motorists don’t want to lose a minute”: Italian Cycling Federation blames rising deaths on impatient drivers who “cannot stand to slow down for cyclists””
It isn’t safe to cross the
It isn’t safe to cross the road in Italy, never mind cycle! I learnt that the hard way in Rome. Drivers respect what we’d call pelican crossings, but the little Zebra striped crossings are blatently ignored. Accidents are commonplace, so much so that the ambulance sirens are now part of the rush hour.
60somethingcyclist wrote:
My experience in Italian cities (Rome, Naples) is that in theory the drivers will stop for you when you’re crossing a zebra, but they’ll only do so if the pedestrians walk determinedly as though they won’t stop. Makes you feel like it’s a gamble as they don’t look like they’ll stop at all.
One of my aunts, born and
One of my aunts, born and bred in Rome, is the kindest, most liberal, progressive, gentle soul. But put her in her car in Rome and, my word, Jekyll turns to Hyde in an instant. So many Italians I know or have known drive fast, aggressively and it’s everyone else’s fault.
the main problem, in my view, is there is no traffic calming and certainly a real lack of cycle infrastructure. Some town centres are traffic free and wonderful to walk and cycle around but get out of town and it can become a ‘wild west’ of speeding. And everyone is on their phone.
Having recently cycled in
Having recently cycled in Northern Italy I have to concur with phone usage, it really seems to be endemic. I was amazed that some drivers were using one hand for the phone, the other to gesticulate…err, and the other for steering??
Also, my word, close passes. The concept is just lost on about 95% of them and I just had to chill and accept it. Even huge lorries would whizz past at speed with inches to spare, followed by mild mannered grannies doing exactly the same. Nice roads, shit drivers.
Don’t think it’s not going to
Don’t think it’s not going to get worse here! It is. Close passing has increased a lot recently, as have pretty much all road traffic offences, long term MOT and VED evasion, phone offences etc. I can’t really tell about RLJs because I have to go looking for those and it’s only with heavy traffic that the flaws in the logic of ‘let the A6 traffic through’ lights programming become apparent and the drivers ‘have to offend’
I’ve even experienced close
I’ve even experienced close passes on my motorbike of late. There I was trundling along at 22mph in a 20mph limit (naughty, naughty) last week, when a woman in an Audi undertook me at speed, roaring past at 35-40 I reckon. I wish I’d had my helmet cam.
OldRidgeback wrote:
Why did you choose to commit crime?
Would you be OK with someone being 10% over the drink drive limit?
In common with almost all
In common with almost all vehicles the motorbike speedo is calibrated to be up to10% fast. The poster was within reasonable tolerance of the limit.
Yes … but they could go
Yes … but they could go slower, if in doubt. Limit, not target etc.
(I know, I know, even back in the day my driving instructor said you had to “make progress” not only to pass the test by demonstrating you knew what the current speed limit was and could maintain a steady speed but to avoid holding people up … and no doubt drivers with more than two wheels might be inclined to … encourage a slower motorbiker on or gun by them as the OP noted, with a lot more danger to the motorcyclist than the driver).
Interesting that you chose
Interesting that you chose not to comment about the woman in the Audi driving dangerously.
Italy has around 2x as many
Italy has around 2x as many road deaths as the UK, despite a broadly similar population size. That should tell you soemthing.
(Borrowing the explanations
(Borrowing the explanations others use to explain away places with better transport purpose philosophies and different network / road (cycle) infra design):
But they have narrow mediaeval streets! But it’s hot there! But the Italians have a car culture (Ferrari, Lambourghini, Fiat …)! But it’s the culture in general! (They’re “hot blooded”? Something something Romans? They have pizza?)
They also have great food and
They also have great food and wine and amazing history.
“What have the Italians ever
“What have the Italians ever done for us?”
(Pedantry: TBF they’ve only been around since 1861… or rather – it’s complicated)
On the other hand, you could
On the other hand, you could say they’ve been around since pre-history – it all depends which way you lean.
Makes you realise that the UK
Makes you realise that the UK isn’t that bad but has the potential to be in a few years, boosted by politician and media rhetoric.
“Gotta get to Taco Bell. Starving. Not eaten for 2 hours since that Krispy Kreme! But there’s a bloody cyclist ahead. Doesn’t pay road tax!”
“Need to pick up the kids and take them to McDonald’s. But there is another cyclist ahead. Doesn’t the idiot realise I can’t easily pass in my new massive SUV?!He should pull over and let me pass. This car is costing me £80k over 5 years for God’s sake! My kids are going to starve!”
“If he had number plates I’d report him to the police!”
“Gotta make a phone call. I’ll just turn this music down, or find something quieter!”
“Where’s my can of Pepsi?!”
“Look! There’s another one!. I just slowed to 45 mph passing that horse on the bend in the village a mile back. Wearing lycra. Cycling 50 miles and stopping for a coffee and piece of cake! That’s not gonna help the economy! Selfish! Not like me. I had 3 pints of Stella and had a huge steak and chips at the Hungry Horse!”
“20mph speed limits! Waste of time! It’s all a matter of concentration and reading the road. Phoar! Look at her at the bus stop!” Honk Honk! Winds the window down. “It’s a dead heat in the hot air balloon race darling!”
“Gonna vote for Farage. He’ll sort these cyclists out and end the war on the motorist!”
Drivers would bully a tractor
Drivers would bully a tractor too, if they were driving a bigger tractor.