Tight (loose) of the Highway Code on smart phones driving, capping interest on fines and allowing new drivers to drive more powerful cars in the first three years after licensing. These are some of the innovations in road safety. The review by the House committee confirmed the license suspension for those who use a cell phone while driving: one week for those with at least 10 points, 15 days if the points are less than ten. The delays then double if the use of the smartphone causes an accident or causes another vehicle to leave the road. If approved by the House and then by the Senate on March 1, the new measure will officially take effect. In the new Highway Code, the fine for driving with a cell phone will increase from a minimum of 250 euros to a maximum of 1,000 euros compared to the initial amount which provided for fines of a minimum of 422 euros to one maximum of 1,697 euros. . The repression of repeat offenders is also relaxed: the fine increases from a range between 644 and 2,588 euros to a range between 350 and 1,400 euros.
Drug use and interest on fines
The fine for people arrested while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be imposed immediately after an initial check. Currently, it is expected that the state of psychophysical alteration will be noted and it is not enough to prove the presence of the substance in the blood.
More powerful cars for new drivers
New drivers will be able to drive more powerful cars even in the first three years after the license is issued, after the amendment banned driving motor vehicles with power above 75 kW/t and cars with a maximum power of 105 kW. The current Code, however, sets the limit at 55 kW/t for motor vehicles in general and at 70 kW/h for cars. The reform project had extended the ban from 1 to 3 years, leaving vehicle powers unchanged after the accident caused by Roman YouTubers driving a Lamborghini.
Maximum interest rate on fines
The new Highway Code also provides for a maximum interest rate on fines. “The increase cannot exceed three-fifths of the amount of the sanction, or 60%,” comments Maurizio Lupo of Noi Moderati, first signatory of the two amendments on sanctions. “An act of justice and fairness towards citizens who will no longer have to pay, after years, stratospheric interest of hundreds, even thousands of euros, for not having paid a fine, perhaps through forgetfulness or temporary impossibility”, specifies Lupi, emphasizing that “the fine should not be a tax but an educational element, it is therefore preferable to increase the number of points deducted from the license”.
Radars
The rules relating to speed cameras and the payment of fines have also been reviewed. In the event that the driver receives several fines on the same section of road, within one hour and under the jurisdiction of the same body, he will only pay one fine: the most serious increased by a third. “I thank all the members of the Transport Committee who have demonstrated that by working seriously, by putting the safety of citizens at the center, politics can provide a good service,” declared the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport. Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini. adding that “being in class on March 1st with the new highway code is a very good result. »
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