The law was done with the aim of strengthening road safety and adapting the rules to the new mobility needs, the new Highway Code has been in force since December 14. The decree introduces important changes to the rules relating to the circulation of means of transport. The most important changes have involved penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and for using a cell phone in a car, but also indiscriminate parking in areas dedicated to the disabled. Furthermore, the regulation of the much-discussed electric scooters has begun for the first time.
Let’s leave aside all the controversy that the new Highway Code has sparked and focus on the most important changes and how they will affect the lives of those who drive for work.
Tougher sanctions
Let’s face it, the real news of this Highway Code is the regulation of electric scooters, which in cities had by now become a phenomenon that certainly needed to be regulated. For the rest, it seems that there is a tightening of the existing sanctions and suspension times of the license. The good news is that according to the new regulation, two equal sanctions will not be added if the violation occurred in the course of an hour and on the same stretch of road. The most serious violation will be paid increased by 1/3 of the amount.
What changes for drivers
A specific regime has been introduced for professional drivers in possession of a CQC (Driver Qualification Card). If the driver who is found to have committed an infringement has less than 20 points on his license (10 if he is a new driver), he may be subject to a suspension of the driving license ranging from 7 to 14 days, depending on the points he has left. The reduction will be made only on the title of qualification to drive the heavy vehicle and not on both. Another important innovation concerns the revision of heavy vehicles, which can also be carried out in private workshops, simplifying a bureaucratic process for the maintenance of vehicles that has now become slow and cumbersome. In short, all those who have so far respected the laws relating to the use of electronic devices while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and respected the written and unwritten rules of civility and respect (such as not speeding at high speed in inhabited areas or not parking in areas reserved for disabled people) have nothing to fear.