The Senate on Wednesday gave
definitive approval to Deputy Premier and Transport Minister
Matteo Salvini's reform of the Highway Code.
The law, which had already been approved by the Lower House,
passed with 83 votes in favour, 47 against and one abstention
The bill stiffens the penalties for using mobile phones at the
wheel, with fines of between 250 and 1,000 euros and a driving
ban of a week if you already have points in your licence.
This can go up to a three-month ban and a fine of 1,400 euros
for repeat offenders.
The fines and bans double if the use of the telephone causes an
accident.
It will be possible for speeding fines to go up as high as 880
euros for people who break the speed limit inside cities twice a
year or more and they face having their licence suspended for 15
to 30 days.
The penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol goes
from a fine of between 573 and 2,170 euros and a licence
suspension of three to six months if the blood alcohol levels is
between 0.5 and 0.8 grams per litre.
People with blood alcohol levels between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per
litre risk a fine of up to 3,200 euros, a driving ban of between
six months and a year and a jail term of six months.
If the level is over 1.5 grams, the fine can go as high as 6,000
euros, the driving ban up to two years and the jail term up to
one year.
There is also the obligation to install a breath alcohol
ignition interlock device after getting the licence back.
People caught driving under the influence of drugs face bans of
up to three years.
The bill obliges motorists to respect a distance of 1.5 metres
when overtaking cyclists.
Users of e-scooters will be obliged to wear helmets, have a
number plate and get insurance - although subsequent legislation
will set out the details on this.
It will not be possible for local authorities to issue motorists
with more than one speeding fine for repeated breaches that come
within an hour of each other.
If there is no than one, the motorist must pay only the biggest
fine, plus a third.
People who abandon animals at a road side face losing their
licences for between six months and a year.
They risk seven years in jail if an accident is caused by the
abandoned animal.
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