New Highway Code: from the 21st car onwards, an ISEE of over 50,000 euros will be required
The measure to tackle the phenomenon of ‘professional frontmen’ and ‘ghost cars’, which are often used by criminal organisations
It is the phenomenon of ‘professional frontmen’: destitute individuals (who are homeless or have no income) in whose names dozens or hundreds of cars are fictitiously registered. There have been record-breaking cases in the news, such as one a few years ago when the State Police, following a roadside check, discovered that a 65-year-old homeless man was registered as the owner of 914 vehicles.
‘Ghost cars’ are one of the most commonly used tools of criminal organisations: vehicles registered in a front man’s name and used to commit crimes, making it difficult to identify those responsible and to tackle crime.
Measures against fictitious ownership
The new Highway Code addresses this issue to strengthen enforcement and improve prevention by introducing a presumption of simulated ownership: when a natural person, who is already the registered owner of at least twenty vehicles in category M1 for their own use (i.e. passenger cars with a maximum of eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat), applies for the registration of a further vehicle in the same category, they must demonstrate that they have an ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator) in excess of 50,000 euros, that is, sufficient financial capacity to manage such a large fleet of vehicles.
Alternatively, it must be demonstrated that those vehicles are used for economic activities or for voluntary work carried out by one of the organisations listed in the Single National Register for the Third Sector.
Checks
In the technical report accompanying the Legislative Decree updating the Highway Code, it is specified that the number of vehicles is verified by querying the National Vehicle Register. It is the responsibility of the person concerned to demonstrate that the conditions are met to rebut the presumption, by means of the declarations and documentation required by the legislation. Verification of the ISEE, any economic activity or registration with the RUNTS (Single National Register of the Third Sector at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies) is carried out using information already available or documentation submitted by the applicant, without the offices conducting any independent investigations.
