With 83 votes in favour, 47 against and one abstention, the Senate has given final approval to the reform of the Highway Code, making the measure definitive after approval by the Chamber. Despite the 350 amendments presented by the opposition, no changes were accepted, ensuring a rapid process for the bill. The reform will come into force 15 days after publication in the Official Journal, once signed by the President of the Republic, introducing important changes in the field of road traffic. Among the main new features include zero tolerance for cell phone use while driving and for drunk driving, new rules for new drivers, updates on speed limits and a strict regulation for scooters. Let's take a detailed look at the upcoming news.
Cell phones while driving: zero tolerance
For those who come caught driving with cell phone, the sanctions will be more severe. Fines range from 250 to 1.000 euros. The automatic one week suspension if you are caught with your phone while driving and on your license you have at least 10 points. In case of relapse, the fines go up to 1.400 euros, with suspension of driving license for three months and a deduction of up to 10 points. The suspension is doubled if the use of the smartphone causes accidents.
Drunk driving: harsher penalties
Zero tolerance for the driving under the influence of alcohol. Penalties will be increasingly severe based on blood alcohol level:
- 0,5-0,8 g/l: fine between 573 and 2.170 euros, suspension of driving licence from 3 to 6 months.
- 0,8-1,5 g/l: crime with a fine of 800 to 3.200 euros, arrest of up to 6 months and suspension of the driving licence from 6 months to one year.
- Over 1,5 g/l: fine from 1.500 to 6.000 euros, arrest from 6 months to one year and suspension of the license from 1 to 2 years.
In all cases yes lose 10 points on your license and, above 0,8 g/l, it is Installation of the alcohol lock system is mandatory, which blocks the car from starting if the driver tests positive. novice drivers must maintain a blood alcohol level of zero for the first three years of driving.
Narcotics: immediate revocation of driving licence
No discount even for those who drive under the influence of drugs: just testing positive is enough to suffer the license revocation and ban from obtaining it for three years. The new procedure eliminates the need for confirmation in health facilities: a positive first test will be sufficient to trigger the automatic suspension of the license.
New speed limits and speed cameras
More severe fines also for those who exceed the speed limitsAnyone who exceeds the speed limit by more than 10 km/h but not more than 40 km/h risks a fine between 173 and 694 euros. If the violation is repeated in a built-up area at least twice in the space of a year, the fine increases to between 220 and 880 euros, with the suspension of the license that can vary from 15 to 30 days.
For the Speed Cameras, I am precise rules introduced: they must be reported in advance, minimum distances between devices must be respected and fines cannot be accumulated for repeated violations in the same stretch within an hour.
License plate, case and insurance for scooters
For the scooters license plate, helmet and insurance become mandatory. The vehicles will be able to circulate only on urban roads with speed limits lower than 50 km/h, prohibiting the use in the wrong direction and in pedestrian areas.
Drivers will have to maintain a safe distance of 1,5 meters when overtaking cyclists, thus increasing protection for those who use bicycles.
(READ MORE: Scooters, the new rules)
More restrictions for new drivers
Stricter rules for new drivers. The new rules extend to three years, instead of one, the ban on driving powerful cars for those who obtain a license (but only for those who will have obtained it after the publication in the Official Journal). Power limits they were slightly loosen up: it will not be possible to drive vehicles with a power exceeding 75 kW per tonne and cars with a maximum power of 105 kW (142 HP). Currently, the Highway Code imposes a more restrictive limit, set at 55 kW/t for motor vehicles and 70 kW (95 HP) for cars.
Higher fines for illegal parking
Tougher sanctions for who park in spaces reserved for disabled people (330-990 euros) or in the bus stops (165-660 euros), to discourage disrespectful behavior.
Abandonment of animals: suspension of driving licence for up to one year
Who abandons animals on the street, instead, risks the suspension of driving license from six months to one year. If the abandonment causes an accident with deaths or injuries, the prison sentence can reach up to seven years.
