Italy proposes 15-point Highway Code overhaul: license at 17, right-lane overtaking, progressive speed fines

Progressive speed fines

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Mit) has proposed replacing the current speed fine system with a progressive model that ties penalties more closely to the severity of the violation. On motorways, the proposal sets a fixed increment of €10 for every km/h above the 130 km/h limit: a driver travelling at 140 km/h would pay €100, while one caught at 170 km/h, exceeding the limit by 40 km/h, would face a €400 fine. On urban and local roads with limits of 50 or 30 km/h, the increment would be €5 per km/h over the threshold. The principle, as described by the ministry, is that exceeding a speed limit by a few km/h does not carry the same risk as travelling at much higher speeds. The reform also calls for an end to automatic inflation-linked increases on fines.

New rules for motorways and motorcyclists

One proposal would introduce parallel-file circulation on three-lane motorways and expressways, effectively permitting right-lane overtaking. Motorcyclists would gain new protections on motorways, including the ability to use the emergency lane during accidents or severe slowdowns, provided passage for rescue vehicles is always guaranteed. Parking violation fines for two-wheeled vehicles would be halved under the proposals.

Younger drivers, e-bikes and uninsured vehicles

The reform package would lower the minimum age for the B license (patente B) from 18 to 17. For so-called "super-bikes", the propulsion cycles frequently used by delivery riders, the ministry proposes mandatory helmets and a registration badge. The crackdown on uninsured vehicles would use Motorizzazione database cross-checks to create a "digital driving ban": at the first roadside check, if the driver has not regularised their insurance status, the vehicle could be seized on the spot. The package also targets abandoned vehicles and urban degradation.

Fines, guarantees and recovery from foreign drivers

The proposals aim to make fines simpler and more proportionate to the actual severity of violations, while imposing harsher sanctions on uninsured vehicles. Sanction increments for irregular payments would be reduced. The notification window for fines based on remote enforcement, such as speed cameras and ZTL cameras, would be cut from 90 to 30 days. The ministry also proposes strengthening recourse to the prefect and simplifying the self-protection procedure for contesting erroneous tickets, with greater proportionality for minor payment errors. Unpaid fines from foreign drivers could be recovered within five years of the violation, through coercive collection against any driver found operating the offending vehicle in Italy.

Disability parking and municipal obligations

Municipalities would be required to join the Cude platform, the European parking badge for persons with disabilities. Non-compliant municipalities would lose the ability to use remote enforcement devices for violations related to reserved parking and ZTL zones.

The consultation process was initiated by Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, who sent the 15 working hypotheses to over 100 operators and industry associations. The ministry stated its goal in a note:

to arrive at a text that is as close as possible to the needs of motorists, with road safety as the priority