From the digital driving licence valid across Europe to hefty fines for e-scooters: the latest changes to the Highway Code
The review called for by Minister Salvini is currently being considered by the Council of Ministers following consultation with associations and industry representatives
Travelling across Europe without a physical driving licence in your wallet. This is one of the new features contained in the new Highway Code (comprising 291 articles), which will be presented to the Council of Ministers on 13 October following consultations chaired by the Minister for Infrastructure, Matteo Salvini, with over a hundred industry representatives and associations: the digital driving licence at It-Wallet (available within the IO app), which is valid during checks by law enforcement agencies, already had the same legal status as the physical document, but only within Italy. From now on, it will effectively become a ‘European mobile driving licence’, allowing the digital document to be used abroad as well.
Road haulage: driving until the age of 70
The revision of the Highway Code – one of the measures on which the League’s Deputy Prime Minister has placed the greatest emphasis in recent years – is also expected to include the possibility of raising the age limit from 68 to 70 the age limit for the professional driving of heavy goods vehicles used for road haulage with a mass exceeding 20 tonnes (C and CE licences). The trade unions immediately voiced their opposition to this proposal: ‘As far as we are concerned,’ clarified Filt Cgil, ‘heavy goods vehicle drivers are workers who should be covered by the regulations governing arduous work, which should provide for early retirement’.
The regulation is intended to address the shortage of drivers and goes hand in hand with another proposal: heavy goods vehicles without a trailer, which require a C1 and C driving licence, may also be driven from the age of 17 with a B licence and a Cqc (driver qualification card).
Micromobility: safety and fines
The Government’s updated road traffic regulations will introduce a comprehensive framework for micro-mobility: a new category of ‘motorised cycles’ is being introduced, namely ‘super-bikes’ with an auxiliary electric motor used by riders for home deliveries, and these are distinguished from normal e-bikes, which are pedal-assisted electric bicycles. Helmets and number plates will be compulsory.
There will be a requirement for e-bikes to display a visual indicator (a flag) when carrying children.
