Highway Code, first yes in the Senate: crackdown on drunk drivers and mobile phone users, novelties for speed cameras and novice drivers

The new Highway Code closed in committee in the Senate, with no changes to the text approved by the House. After examination in the Chamber of Deputies at Palazzo Madama, the text will become law. 'Great satisfaction' of Matteo Salvini, says the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The text approved by the Chamber modifies in a restrictive sense the provisions on the subject of driving in a state of drunkenness. If the blood alcohol level is between 0.5 and 0.8 grams per litre, there is an administrative offence punishable by a fine ranging from EUR 573 to 2,170. The accessory administrative sanction of the suspension of the driving licence from three to six months shall also be imposed. If the blood alcohol level is between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per litre, the offence is of a contravention nature, punished with the double penalty of imprisonment and fine (imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of between 800 and 3,200 euros). An accessory sanction of licence suspension from six months to one year is attached. If the blood alcohol level is higher than 1.5 grams per litre, the offence is punished - also here - with imprisonment and a fine (imprisonment from 6 months to one year and a fine from 1,500 to 6,000 euros). The accessory sanction of licence suspension from one to two years is also imposed.

On the driving licence of a driver who is found to have committed an offence (i.e. driving with a blood-alcohol level between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per litre and driving with a blood-alcohol level above 1.5 grams per litre) there are certain codes according to which, either he may no longer drink before driving; or he may only drive vehicles equipped with a special device - called an alcolock - whereby the driver must blow into the device before starting the car. If a blood alcohol level is detected in the breath, the car will not start.

In the new Highway Code, the fine for driving with a smartphone will range from a minimum of EUR 250 to a maximum of EUR 1,000 compared to the amount originally envisaged in the reform bill, which provided for fines ranging from a minimum of EUR 422 to a maximum of EUR 1,697. The grip on repeat offenders is also loosened: the fine goes from a range between EUR 644 and EUR 2,588 to a range between EUR 350 and EUR 1,400. Then comes a cap on interest on fines. "The surcharge may not be more than three fifths of the amount of the fine", i.e. 60 per cent.

According to the new code, anyone caught behind the wheel with a smartphone in their hand will have their licence suspended for a week if there are at least 10 points on it; if, however, the points are less than ten, the licence suspension will be 15 days. The time will then be doubled if the use of the mobile phone causes an accident or drives another vehicle off the road.