A new Highway Code with lighter sanctions but with zero tolerance against dangerous behavior. And the age limit for driving trucks and buses is raised to 70. The Council of Ministers gives the green light to the changes to the text as part of the revision desired by Minister Matteo Salvini, after consultation with over one hundred operators and sector associations.
"The rationalization of sanctions", in addition to the suspension of the automatic biennial adjustment to inflation, sees a "downward rounding" of the amounts compared to the current code: the most common legal minimums of 26 and 42 euros fall to 25 and 40 euros respectively, while the sanctions of 83 and 87 euros are reduced to 80 euros, explains the Ministry of Transport.
Among the main innovations stands out "the indefinite driving ban for those traveling without insurance", i.e. the civil liability coverage that protects damage caused to third parties. Then, the helmet and license plate requirement for riders' super electric bikes, other than pedal-assisted bikes which have a maximum continuous nominal power of 0.25 kW, comes into play. But there will no longer be an obligation to carry a paper license and vehicle registration document with you when driving because they can be verified electronically by the police.
Also new for motorcyclists: they will be able to use the emergency lane on the motorway in the event of accidents or slowdowns, while a traffic ban will be introduced for electric scooters when they constitute an obstacle or danger to pedestrians.
And there is also news on the notification front for notifications of dispute reports, to protect drivers and the right to defence: with the new text, the Municipalities will have 45 days, instead of 90, to notify the report when the assessment takes place remotely and without immediate notification, explains the Porta Pia ministry.
The new Code also aims to recover unpaid sums from foreign motorists, introduces the obligation to have insurance according to Italian rules for foreigners who travel in Italy for more than 30 days and simplifies the procedures relating to the Unified European Disabled Card (Cude). All Municipalities will, in fact, be required to join the national platform, to guarantee the recognition of the badge throughout the Italian territory and in case of non-compliance, they will not be able to use remote verification devices for violations relating to reserved parking and Limited Traffic Zones (Ztl).
"We introduce the obligation for Municipalities to join the Single National IT Platform for Unique Markings, to simplify and make the system more effective", states the Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli. "A necessary measure to guarantee citizens with disabilities the possibility of moving and traveling without having to request, every day and in every municipality, authorization for their means of transport to access limited traffic areas", he explains.
Finally, in the new Code the age limit for professional transport with all group 2 licenses (C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE) is raised from 68 to 70 years, with the obligation of biannual verification. Codacons criticizes the text, according to which "reducing or increasing the amounts of fines does not improve road safety". For the Consumers' Association, "more controls" are needed in the territories.
