Italy’s draft Highway Code introduces risk‑based fines and stricter penalties, potentially reshaping driving costs, insurance premiums and urban mobility revenues
Executive summary: The Italian government published a draft Highway Code that introduces variable fines based on driver behaviour, automatic licence suspension for speeding over 20 km/h on highways, stricter pedestrian rules and updated paid‑parking provisions. The reform touches on driving costs, insurance risk assessment, automotive demand and municipal finances, potentially altering household budgets and road‑safety outcomes.
Who is involved: Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Parliament, driver associations, insurance companies, auto manufacturers and municipal authorities.
Likely next: Parliamentary committees will debate the draft in late September 2026; if passed, the variable‑fine system is slated to take effect on 1 January 2027, with insurers adjusting RC auto premiums in Q1 2027 and municipalities piloting smart‑parking payment updates in October 2026.
The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has released a draft of the new Highway Code that would allow base fines to double or be cut by half according to a driver’s risk profile, impose automatic licence suspension for exceeding highway speed limits by 20 km/h, tighten rules for pedestrians and revise paid‑parking schemes. The proposal follows earlier debates over a mandatory digital domicile for drivers and age‑related limits for over‑85s, both of which were dropped. If approved, the changes would affect millions of motorists, influence auto‑insurance pricing and alter municipal revenue streams from traffic violations and parking.
Timeline
- — Dall’uso degli smartphone all’Rc auto: le multe “su misura” del nuovo Codice della Strada (la Repubblica — Economia)
- — Codice della Strada, intervento del Mit: “Nessuna limitazione agli over 85” (la Repubblica — Economia)
- — Salvini stoppa la Pec obbligatoria per gli automobilisti: “Non sarà nel Codice della Strada” (la Repubblica — Economia)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- Parliamentary transport committee to vote on the draft by 30 September 2026
- Variable‑fine mechanism to enter force on 1 January 2027
- Insurers to revise RC auto premiums using new risk‑profiles from Q1 2027
- Milan to launch a smart‑parking payment trial in October 2026
Sectors affected
- Automotive manufacturing
- Auto insurance
- Urban mobility services
- Municipal parking management
Regulatory implications
- Amendments to the Italian Highway Code (Codice della Strada) introduce risk‑based fines under Article 142
- Exceeding the highway speed limit by 20 km/h triggers automatic licence suspension under Article 186‑bis
- Paid‑parking reforms require municipalities to update tender specifications by December 2026
Historical parallels
- 2021 Italian points‑based licence reform that increased fines for repeat offenders
- 2018 French ‘Code de la route’ overhaul introducing mandatory breathalyzer locks for high‑risk drivers
- 2015 Spanish traffic‑law reform that added variable speed limits according to weather conditions
Key entities
Sources
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