Below is a good summary of the new rules of the highway code reform decree approved by the government and which should come into force next autumn. The summary is that of the periodical Four wheels:
DRIVE BY PHONE
Anyone caught driving using a telephone, for calls or texts, will be punished with a short suspension of their driving license from 7 to 20 days depending on the points left on the driving permit: 7 days suspension if you are between 10 and 19 points, 15 days of suspension from 1 to 9 points, which double going up to 14 and 30 days if the driver is responsible for a road accident. “On the use of the mobile phone while driving – commented Salvini – there will not only be the reduction of points from the license, but also the suspension, given that 15% of accidents are the result of distraction due to chats and WhatsApp”.
ALCOHOL: DRINK DRIVING
For those who drive under the influence of alcohol, the suspension and revocation of the license for up to three years is foreseen. In addition to the provisions currently in force, the new rules provide zero tolerance for those who have already been convicted of driving while intoxicated, who are forbidden to drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel and can thus only drive with an alcohol content of 0g /L. The ban on driving with a rate of up to 0.5 g/l will be valid for two or three years depending on the case and it will be possible to drive only if the Alcolock system is installed on the vehicle (at one’s own expense), a device that prevents starting engine if a blood alcohol level above zero is detected. In this regard, the Ministry of Transport will soon publish regulations.
DRUGS: DRIVING UNDER THE EFFECT OF DRUGS.
Regardless of the state of psychophysical alteration, driving after taking drugs will be punishable by the withdrawal of the license. When the police officers have reasonable grounds to believe that a driver has taken drugs, they will be able to take a saliva sample to ascertain the use of prohibited substances. In the event of a positive outcome of the preliminary checks, they will be able to withdraw the license pending the tests carried out in the laboratory and subsequently impose a ban on obtaining a new driving license for three years.
EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMITS
Some violations of the Highway Code, such as exceeding the speed limits from 10 to 40 km/h, will in some cases lead to the mini-suspension of the licence. The scheme provides for the reduction of points for drivers with more than 20 points available, which will add to the suspension of the driving license for 7 days for those with between 10 and 19 points and for 15 days for those with between 1 and 9 points , with the duration doubling in the event of an accident. The mini-suspension of the license will also apply, with the same logic, to failure to comply with prohibited direction signs and no overtaking signs, traffic against the traffic, failure to respect precedence, overtaking on the right and failure to use the seat belt or child seats or anti-abandonment devices.
AUTOVELOX: “OUT OF THE MONEY-EATING SYSTEMS”
“Away with money-eating systems, less bureaucracy, use only of certified tools, protecting citizens from crazy fines”: these, in a nutshell, are the innovations that the government has decided to introduce on the issue of speed cameras. Furthermore, the approval procedures for speed detection systems will be equivalent to those for type approval. In the coming weeks, a regulation will be established to standardize the methods of approving speed measuring instruments. In addition, devices for automatic detection of violations will be able to detect two or even more at the same time. On the motorways and main extra-urban roads, the police forces will be able to ascertain some particularly dangerous violations (prohibition of circulation of certain vehicles, reversal of the direction of travel, circulation on unauthorized lanes, improper occupation of the acceleration or deceleration lanes, failure to use the position lights while parked or stopped, violation of toll collection regulations) using normal cameras and the related photographic or film documentation.
SAFETY CAR
In the event of an accident, the traffic police and law enforcement cars will be able to slow down traffic and act as a deterrent for further accidents by acting as a Safety Car for vehicular traffic. A practice already used on some Italian motorway sections, but still far from being applied throughout the national territory.
ZTL: LIMITED TRAFFIC AREAS
The restricted traffic areas will have to be used with the utmost common sense: “Stop harmful and unclear excessive restrictions. The mayors have the task of proposing balanced solutions that protect the environment, freedom of movement and work”. Furthermore, at the exit, the driver who entered the restricted traffic area when the prohibition was not in force will no longer be penalised. Furthermore, there is also a tolerance of 10% in areas where there is a maximum stay time.
NEW DRIVERS: NEW LIMITS FOR POWER
The government has raised the limit within which novice drivers will not be able to drive the most powerful cars, often erroneously defined as “large-engined” cars, from one to three years. These are cars with a heat engine with a specific power exceeding 55 kW (75 HP) per tonne and/or with a maximum power equal to or greater than 70 kW (95 HP). In the case of electrified, hybrid or electric cars, the specific power rises to 65 kW (88 HP) per ton. Furthermore, a minor who drives without a license and is drunk or on drugs will not be able to obtain the driving license until he reaches the age of 24.
ELECTRIC SCOOTERS: WITH HELMET, NUMBER PLATE AND INSURANCE
The new rules of the Highway Code also impose that, in order to circulate, all scooters must have a license plate and insurance and, regardless of age, must be ridden wearing an approved helmet. For those traveling without insurance, fines ranging from 100 to 400 euros are foreseen. The turn and brake light indicators are also mandatory: anyone caught without them will be fined from 200 to 800 euros. Some rules of conduct have also been changed: absolute prohibition of traffic against traffic and on roads with a speed limit exceeding 50 km/h. For shared scooters, the service manager will have to install automatic systems that prevent them from functioning outside the city areas in which circulation is permitted. In addition, the new highway code provides for a “no parking on the sidewalks”.
CYCLISTS
“In pedestrian areas, urban cycle roads and cycle zones, the drivers of motor vehicles admitted to traffic, in compliance with the general rules of precedence, must pay particular attention to pedestrians and cyclists”, as stated in the new paragraph 4- bis of the Highway Code. The government has thus envisaged new measures for the protection of weak road users, with particular regard to cyclists and “drivers of predominantly electric propulsion cycles”. The rules governing the “technical characteristics and methods of circulation of bicycles, pedal assisted bicycles, propulsion cycles and mainly electric propulsion scooters” will be modified. Furthermore, new rules will be established for the circulation of “atypical vehicles” and criteria will be defined “for the design and construction of road infrastructures and street furniture aimed at the safety of users of two-wheeled vehicles and personal mobility devices to be adopted by decree of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport”.
LEVEL CROSSINGS: MORE SAFETY
Level crossings will also be modified to ensure greater safety, by installing new signs and carrying out more checks, including through cameras. “At level crossings without barriers or semi-barriers – reads the text of the decree – a luminous device with two alternately flashing red lights can be placed on the right of the road, at the responsibility and expense of the railway manager. function to warn in good time of the passage of the train, supplemented by an acoustic signaling device. Such devices must in any case be installed in case of insufficient visibility”. Anyone who uses or crosses a level crossing with or without barriers can be fined from 200 to 800 euros. You can also be sanctioned in case of overcoming the barriers while they are being raised or lowered: the fine is from 87 to 344 euros.
(Four wheels)
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