From his arrival at Mimit the minister Matteo Salvini he reiterated over and over again the importance of having a new Highway Code, capable of putting a brake on the behavior of Italians while driving. A set of tougher articles, towards zero tolerance to stem accidents, most of the time fatal, on the roads from North to South. A Code which has been much discussed to date, has passed the Chamber of Deputies and which now, due to problems still to be resolved, is stalled in the Senate.
And in the meantime, with the “old” there are those who remain unpunished, while on the roads the trail of blood in 2024 is fueled by more and more accidents that are hard to digest.
Towards zero tolerance with the new Code
The latest serious accident on the roads of Italy has once again turned the spotlight on the new Highway Code, with the death of a 2-year-old child acting as a megaphone for the cause. A Code that must be capable of increasingly curbing illegal behavior, such as driving while intoxicated which more often than not causes death after death.
L’accident occurred on the Palermo-Sciacca route, near Giacalone, on the night between Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June, in fact, is yet another demonstration that zero tolerance is needed. And the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini has put on the table, together with his team, articles that go in that direction.
In fact, there are 18 articles contained in the new Code, with particular attention to life imprisonment for driving while intoxicated and harsher punishments.
Driving while intoxicated, what changes
To have a more certain picture we will certainly have to wait a few weeks, if not months, but the government’s intention is to have a rigid Code. For this reason, exemplary punishments will be given to anyone caught driving under the influence of drugs or with a high blood alcohol level.
In the first case we will talk about life imprisonment of the license, imposed on those who are behind the wheel under the influence of drugs with gradual sanctions that can range from the suspension of the license for 7 days to permanent suspension.
However, the scenario on the scene is important driving while intoxicated, with new posts. If the blood alcohol level is between 0.5 and 0.8 grams per liter the penalty is fine from 573 to 2,170 euros, with a license suspension of 3 to 6 months. However, if the rate is between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per litre, you are punished with a double penalty, imprisonment and a fine, with imprisonment of up to 6 months and a fine. from 800 to 3,200 euros and license suspension from 6 months to one year.
If the rate is higher than 1.5 grams per liter, imprisonment for 6 months and a year, a fine from 1,500 to 6,000 euros and license suspension for one to two years. And for the “repeat drunks” there will be an obligation to wear an alcohol lock, a device that works like a breathalyser and prevents the car from starting if the driver is intoxicated and will have to blow into the device as soon as he sits down.
Coming in the summer? Where are we at?
But when will the new Code arrive? Everyone is asking this, especially minister Matteo Salvini who promised new rules by the summer. But with the warm weather now underway, there is no trace of the Code.
The reason is to be found in the halt in the parliamentary process. We got off to a good start with the yes vote that arrived in the Chamber on March 27th. Since then, however, the trial has been stalled in the Senate.
In Palazzo Madama, in fact, the text is struggling to take off and after 44 hearings in five sessions the light at the end of the tunnel does not seem to be that close.
