Summer exodus, black weekend: 13 million cars on the road

83% of road and highway construction work halted

This weekend, black warnings will be applied today, Saturday morning, August 9th, and red warnings will be applied on Sunday. The second weekend of August marks the peak of the summer exodus, with 12,640,000 vehicle movements. According to the Anas Road Mobility Observatory, traffic is expected to steadily increase following the closure of most businesses in the country in preparation for the August bank holiday. Anas has therefore suspended further construction sites starting today , in addition to those already stopped, for a total of 1,392, over 83% of those active (1,672) .

The most critical morning will be today, Saturday, August 9th, when Viabilità Italia (Italian Road Traffic Authority) has imposed a black warning, restricting travel from major urban centers to resort towns, seaside resorts in the south, mountain resorts in the north , and to state borders. Sunday afternoon and evening will see a concentration of people returning to major cities for those who have opted for a short weekend. In view of the significant increase in traffic, Anas (National Road Traffic Authority) has increased staffing throughout the country.

"In view of the peak summer exodus expected in the coming days," stated Anas CEO Claudio Andrea Gemme, "we are increasing our commitment to ensuring maximum traffic flow and safety along the Anas road and highway network. We have increased the number of suspended construction sites to 1,392, or 83% of the total." "We are working in synergy with the Ministry of Infrastructure and law enforcement to minimize the disruption associated with the increased summer traffic," the CEO concluded.