Home / Crime and Justice / Italy Bans Phone Use While Crossing Roads
Italy Bans Phone Use While Crossing Roads
24 Aug
Summary
- Italy's new highway code fines pedestrians using phones while crossing.
- Fines start at €75 for distracted walking offenses.
- The law targets risks from drivers not seeing distracted pedestrians.
Italy is set to implement stricter highway code regulations, including fines for pedestrians using mobile phones while crossing roads. This new rule targets distractions that can lead to serious accidents by reducing driver reaction time.
The draft legislation, expected by mid-October, imposes fines of €75 or more for using phones and other electronic devices like laptops and tablets while crossing. However, pedestrians can still use phones for emergency calls or hands-free conversations, provided they can hear adequately with earphones. The regulations do not apply to those on pavements.
This move follows several Italian court rulings that have attributed blame for accidents to careless pedestrians. Italy joins countries like Lithuania and cities such as Honolulu and Yamato in Japan that have previously introduced similar measures against distracted walking.
Furthermore, the updated code will feature harsher penalties for drivers using mobile phones, with potential fines up to €2,588 and license suspension for repeat offenders. Initial proposals for age-related driving restrictions for those 85 and older were removed following public backlash.
