Italian drivers 'okay to drink' after law change

The new rules mean a driver who has drunk eight glasses of wine could incur a fine of just 800 euros. Photo / Thinkstock

Italian drivers who drink a bottle of wine before getting behind the wheel could face a fine of just a few hundred euros after a provincial governor reversed a law that allowed licences to be confiscated.

Campaigners have warned the new regulations are a "crippling blow" in the battle to clean up the country's roads, which have been among the most dangerous in the EU for many years. The new law will apply in Avellino, a province in Italy's southern Campania region, around 50km from Naples.

A road safety group criticised Carlo Sessa, the prefect of Avellino, for reversing regulations that said any driver caught with a blood alcohol content between 0.8 and 1.5g per litre of blood faced a licence suspension of six to 12 months. The new rules mean a driver who has drunk eight glasses of wine could incur a fine of just 800 euros (about NZ$1330).

Mr Sessa wrote to each of the province's five police forces on July 20 warning they should "promptly enact the recent regulations". Explaining his decision, he appeared to criticise the region's judiciary, who repeatedly cancel the suspension of licences in the appeal courts. The new regulations relieve the "heavy burden on public administration" this creates, he wrote.

Giuseppa Cassaniti, president of the Italian Association for the Families and Victims of Road Deaths, told The Daily Telegraph the ruling was a "step backwards" for Italy. "This sends the message that it is okay to flout the law, that it is okay to drive drunk," she said. "It's a crippling blow."

A spokesman for the Association of Supporters and Friends of Traffic Police (Asaps) said judges dismiss 90 per cent of breathalyser results, citing reasons such as high humidity levels or cold weather.

Emanuele Scafato, president of the Italian Society of Alcohology, said the ability to suspend licences had a "huge cultural value".

"It's a deterrent," he told Il Messaggero newspaper. It protects those who drive, passengers and other vehicles."

Italy is in the process of introducing the crime of "road murder" to stem the growing number of deadly hit-and-run accidents. A total of 1,009 hit-and-runs were reported in 2014, up almost four per cent on the previous year.

The country's criminal code currently does not include this offence and a driver who causes death while driving risks manslaughter charges. A bill being examined by the senate provides for a jail term of up to 12 years for drivers who kill someone while under the influence and eight years for those who were sober but over the speed limit.