The the new traffic code “it is scheduled for final approval next week in the chamber and I expect it to become state law by Christmas.” This was stated by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvinion the sidelines of Eicma, the international two-wheel exhibition that opens at the Milan Fair in Rho.

“I expect it to be a Christmas present because, for example, it will definitely bring more safety for two-wheelers,” he concluded. “I expect it to be operational by Christmas and reduce the number of deaths below 3,000, which has been the tragedy of recent years.” The new Highway Code 2024 includes additional restrictions on the use of mobile phones while driving, blood alcohol and drug content, the use of bicycles and scooters and the correct use of speed cameras.

IMPLEMENTATION OF

Discussed on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, in the Environment Committee, it will be examined in the House in mid-November. After most of the amendments to the bill were revised, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said the vote in the House of Palazzo Madama would take place next week, scheduled for November 19 and 21. Most likely, all the new features provided in the new Highway Code 2024 will come into force and be law by Christmas. Only then will the 2024 Highway Code reform become definitive and binding after it is published in the Official Gazette and 15 days have passed without a law.

Validity

The new sanctions will only apply to facts found and disputed after the publication of the New 2024. Road Code reform in the Official Gazette and the so-called vacatio legis of 15 days from publication. Changes to the traffic code do not apply retroactively.

Lifetime driving license ban

One of the main innovations, as reported by Ratti.auto.it, is the introduction of the new Road Code 2024 of a lifetime driving ban for those who drive under the influence of drugs and commit very serious driving offenses such as failing to stop after an accident.

Road education courses will also be offered in high schools, granting two additional points on the driver’s license.

The suspension of the license from 7 to 15 days is provided for those who violate the Highway Code in 2024 and the deduction of 20 points for the following violations: exceeding the speed limit (between 10 and 40 km/h), running red lights, illegal U-turns , illegal overtaking or right-of-way, failure to yield, failure to signal a traffic officer, failure to maintain a safe distance, driving against traffic and highway violations.

Other offenses triggering short license suspension

• Improper or irregular use of helmets on mopeds and motorcycles;
• Failure or improper use of restraint systems (ie supports to keep child seats secure) and anti-abandonment devices;
• Using mobile phones or other devices while driving.

In the case of very serious and repeated violations, there may be a definitive revocation of the license, and in the event of an accident, the suspension days are doubled. For example, if a driver with less than 20 points is penalized for using a smartphone or other electronic devices, they could face both a short suspension and a regular suspension.

Driving with a mobile phone

The Highway Code provides for higher fines and stricter controls for those who drive with a mobile phone:

– Withdrawal of the license for one week if the driver has more than 10 but less than 20 license points; below this threshold, a 15-day license suspension is provided.

– From 250 to 1,697 euros and suspension of the license from 15 days to 2 months (currently from 165 to 660 euros) for the first offense.

– From 350 to 2,588 euros and the suspension of the license from 1 to 3 months and the deduction from 8 to 10 points in case of relapse.

Scooters

Rules for scooter. They must be equipped with insurance, registration plates and mandatory signs to ensure greater safety for their users and other road users.

Moreover, wearing a helmet will be mandatory for scooter riders, even minors, to prevent serious injuries in the event of an accident. For those who drive without insurance, a fine of 100 to 400 euros is provided, while for those who use a scooter without signals and brakes on both wheels, the fine ranges from 200 to 800 euros.

A general ban on parking scooters on sidewalks was also provided, and those rented in cities must be equipped with a mechanism that automatically locks them if they leave the permitted areas. Therefore, they can only travel on urban roads with limits below 50 km/h and can no longer travel on cycle paths and pedestrian areas.

Driving under the influence

If the alcohol level is between 0.5 and 0.8 grams per liter, the fine will vary from 573 to 2,170 euros, with the suspension of the license from 3 to 6 months; if the blood alcohol level is between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per liter, there is a double penalty, both deprivation of liberty and money (arrest up to 6 months and fine from 800 to 3,200 euros) and license suspension from 6 months at one year.

Finally, if the blood alcohol level is over 1.5 grams per liter, the crime is punishable by both custodial sanctions and monetary sanctions (arrest from 6 months to one year and a fine from 1,500 to 6,000 euros) and the suspension of the license from one to two years.

All cases of driving under the influence result in a 10 point deduction from your license.

What is Alcolock

The Highway Code provides for the absolute prohibition of alcohol consumption before driving and for so-called “repeatedly drunk drivers”, the obligation to have alcohol in the car.

The breathalyzer is a device that prevents the car from starting if the driver is intoxicated, working like a breathalyzer. Specifically, as soon as the driver sits down, they must blow into the device, and if the alcolock detects a high blood alcohol level, it will block the car from starting until the level returns below the legal limit.

This system was already introduced in 2020 by Cnel and has been tested in many European countries, where it is also mandatory for heavy vehicles. If the test is positive, the license will be immediately withdrawn, and subsequently, a ban on obtaining a license will be imposed for three years.

Driving under the influence of drugs

For those driving under the influence of drugs, it will no longer be necessary to be in a state of psycho-physical alteration, but it will be enough to be tested positive in the saliva tests for the license to be withdrawn, and it will not be. you may get a new one before three years.

The policemen will be able to perform a saliva sample directly at the control point, with methods to be established by specific directives of the Ministry of the Interior, and if this is not possible, the policemen can accompany the driver to fixed or mobile, public or accredited points . sanitary facilities for sampling. If the result is positive, but the results of tests carried out by accredited laboratories are not yet available, the police can still withdraw the license.

Speed ​​and penalties

There is a proposal to use remote checks to fine those who do not give way to pedestrians and cyclists, parking in spaces reserved for public transport, police, fire, emergency services, electric vehicles and loading and unloading.

For speeding, the fine ranges from 173 to 694 euros for exceeding speed limits by 10 km/h to 40 km/h, while if the offense is committed in urban areas and at least twice in a year , the fine increases to 220 euros. and 880 euros, and the license is suspended from fifteen to thirty days.

In addition, there is the possibility of increasing the fines in certain cases, such as parking in spaces for disabled people (the fine will be from 330 to 990 euros) and in the lanes or bus stops (the fine from 165 to 660 euros). At the proposal of the mayors, the penalties for exceeding the speed can increase, reaching up to 1,084 euros, with the suspension of the license from 15 to 30 days for those who exceed the limits twice a year in the urban environment.

BIKES

More safeguards to protect cyclists. In particular in the case of overtaking, there is an obligation to maintain a distance of at least one and a half meters when any vehicle overtakes a bicycle, where road conditions permit.

Cycle lanes will be regulated by a decree of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, but there will be no advanced stopping line for bicycles compared to cars. Finally, it is important to note that the maximum power of the e-bike motor must not exceed 250 watts, while the maximum speed must not exceed 30 km/h.

Speed ​​cameras

The new rules for radars, published in the decree in the Official Gazette and in force from May 28, 2024, provide that they can only be placed in areas with a high accident rate, documented impossibility, or difficulty in proceeding with immediate appeal based on structural conditions. They cannot be installed on roads with a limit lower than 20 km/h compared to the general maximum limit. Speed ​​cameras are therefore prohibited below 50 km/h in cities, urban roads, known as zone 30, and suburban roads below 90 km/h.

In the second case, if the obligation is to travel that section at 90 km/h or less, the mayors cannot install radars for electronic speed control. If several radar fines are received on the same stretch of road, within one hour and under the same authority, only one fine will be paid: the most serious increased by a third if it is more favorable. In addition, the speed camera must be well marked with a sign at least one kilometer away from the device itself.

An additional novelty is that the photos, which normally accompany the speed camera fine and constitute evidence of road traffic violations, were previously sent to the home of the vehicle owner. Now that won’t be the case, as the respective fines and notices will still arrive at the drivers’ homes, but without photos of the vehicle. The photos will remain in the authority’s custody and will be available to the driver who can request them in the event of a speed camera fine appeal. In any case, privacy must be guaranteed, so photos taken by speed cameras must have faces obscured or rendered unrecognizable, including those of third parties and the number plates of any other vehicles captured.

Approval was also given for “barcavelox” to detect speed in the canals of Venice.

Abandonment of animals

An increase in the penalty by one third is provided if the animal is abandoned “on the road or in the surroundings”, and the suspension of the license from six months to one year is provided “if it is found that the act constitutes a crime. was committed using vehicles.

Moreover, anyone who leaves any animal on the road risks up to 7 years in prison if they cause a road accident with death, injury, or serious or very serious bodily harm.

Vehicles, what changes

Riders of motorcycles and mopeds will be included in the list of “vulnerable users”, along with pedestrians, disabled people, cyclists and similar categories.

In addition, when the Highway Code comes into force, aspiring motorcyclists authorized to practice for AM, A1, A2 and A licenses with a learner’s permit will not be allowed to carry passengers under any circumstances. As for the new penalties for drivers of motor vehicles, they will be subject to those who occupy spaces reserved for stopping or parking vehicles of disabled persons, as well as ramps or connections between sidewalks, ramps, or transit corridors and the roadway used by the same vehicles. to a fine from a minimum of 165 to a maximum of 660 euros.

Motorcycles with an internal combustion engine of at least 120 cc or a power of at least 6 kW in the case of an electric motor can be driven on the highways and main extra-urban roads. This is only if the driver is of age.