{"id":10422,"date":"2026-09-22T19:32:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T19:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velomag.eu\/new-road-code-cars-over-citizens\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T19:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T19:32:46","slug":"new-road-code-cars-over-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/velomag.eu\/nl\/new-road-code-cars-over-citizens\/","title":{"rendered":"New Road Code: Cars Over Citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italy’s New Road Code: Prioritising Vehicles Over Pedestrians<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the European Mobility Week concludes with the slogan “Mobility for Everyone,” Italy is revising its Road Code in a manner that appears to favour vehicles over pedestrians. The Italian Network for Equitable Mobility (RIME), comprising over forty associations\u2014including FIAB, Legambiente, Salvaiciclisti, and the Scarponi Foundation\u2014has criticised the draft for reversing the priority hierarchy: vehicles first, people second.<\/p>\n

Reversing Priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n

RIME’s primary concern is the shift in the hierarchy of objectives. In the draft, health, safety, and sustainable mobility are demoted from primary goals to interests subordinate to free circulation. This translates to prioritising vehicle flow over pedestrian safety. Such a shift influences decisions on speed limits, right-of-way rules, penalties, and road design. If the guiding principle is to keep traffic moving, any measure that slows down automobiles becomes an exception to justify; if the principle is to prevent fatalities, the opposite applies.<\/p>\n

Neglecting Vulnerable Road Users<\/strong><\/p>\n

The draft also places the onus on vulnerable road users to protect themselves from traffic hazards, without addressing the root causes of these dangers. This approach reduces responsibilities, controls, and penalties for motor vehicles. In practice, this means that pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone crossing at pedestrian crossings must be even more adept at self-defence. RIME advocates for the opposite: the more vulnerable a person is, the more the system should protect them, with responsibility increasing alongside the potential for harm. This principle underpins the Safe System approach, which has yielded measurable results in Europe.<\/p>\n

Alarming Statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n

The statistics underscore the severity of the issue. In 2025, while overall road fatalities in Italy decreased by 5.3%, cyclist deaths increased by 20%, reaching 198. E-bike fatalities rose to 30, a 50% increase. Vulnerable road users now account for 53.3% of all deaths. The overall decline is driven by passive safety features in cars, protecting occupants but not those outside the vehicle. A reform that further shifts the burden of protection onto the most exposed individuals is not neutral; it is a choice.<\/p>\n

Proposed Measures<\/strong><\/p>\n

RIME proposes specific measures to address these concerns:<\/p>\n