Italy deactivates 850 non-homologated speed cameras as long-awaited reform takes effect

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport deactivated 850 speed cameras across Italy on 18 July 2026, immediately after a decree that establishes uniform homologation, calibration and functionality verification rules for all devices used to enforce speed limits. The reform, awaited for 34 years, leaves 3,150 cameras already compliant and operational, while the 850 deactivated units must obtain proper homologation before they can be reactivated.

Regional breakdowns released by the ministry show the largest numbers of deactivations in Lombardy (144), Piedmont (131), Emilia-Romagna (94), Veneto (84) and Tuscany (69). Smaller figures were reported in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (47), the province of Bolzano (18), Molise (18, though a subsequent regional note stated that all 18 devices in Molise are homologated and none were switched off), Marche (15), Abruzzo (12), Campania (7), Sardinia (6), Aosta Valley (4), Calabria (4), Liguria (16), Umbria (3) and the province of Trento (9), with a single device deactivated in Basilicata.

While it is essential to guarantee road safety with clear measures that motorists must respect, safety enforcement cannot turn into a non-transparent way of making money off citizens.

The decree aims to give legal solidity to fines after numerous court rulings highlighted the difference between mere technical approval and full homologation, triggering thousands of appeals by drivers against local authorities that continued using approved but non-homologated devices. Last year, speed camera fines fell 8.9% compared with the previous year, with municipalities collecting €56.5 million. Florence topped the ranking with €19.7 million, followed by Bologna (€9.2 million) and Milan.