Italian deputy Emanuele Pozzolo has driving licence suspended for one year after positive alcohol test in June crash

The crash

On an unspecified day in early June, Pozzolo was driving on the Biella-Cossato highway, returning from lunch with his dog. He lost control and went off the road, but was unharmed. Police administered a breathalyser test, which showed a blood alcohol content above 1 gram per litre, well over the 0.8 g/l threshold that makes the offence criminal.

Suspension and medical review

The prefecture of Biella issued an order on 29 June suspending his driving licence for one year, doubling the statutory minimum of six months. Pozzolo must also appear before a medical commission to assess his psychophysical fitness to drive. If he is later found responsible for the accident, he will face a driving licence review at the end of the suspension period, which entails further medical checks. He could opt for a probation programme that would halve the suspension and extinguish the crime, but that option can only be used once in a lifetime.

Political background and prior conviction

Pozzolo, a former member of Fratelli d'Italia, recently joined Roberto Vannacci's Futuro Nazionale party. In October 2025, he was sentenced in first instance to one year and three months, with a suspended sentence, for illegal possession of a firearm. That case stemmed from a New Year's Eve 2024 party where a shot from his mini pistol injured a guest.

Pozzolo's response

Pozzolo attributed the crash to a heavy downpour, saying he should not have driven after lunch in those conditions. He had previously threatened legal action against anyone calling him "drunk" or "altered", but no complaints have been filed to date.

I shouldn't have driven in those weather conditions after lunch. There was a very strong storm and the car I was driving aquaplaned, I went off the road in a stretch where unfortunately even yesterday there were other accidents.