Italy plans €75 fine for using phone while crossing street

A proposed change to Italy’s highway code could see pedestrians fined for using their phones while crossing the road.

The proposal is contained in a draft of new highway code and is aimed at penalising pedestrians who are considered distracted or inattentive while using the road.

The draft would require pedestrians to check that approaching drivers have seen them and stopped before they cross.

Pedestrians could also be penalised for crossing without first checking that the road is clear, or for walking on the road outside designated pedestrian areas when a pavement is available.

A €75 fine is reportedly being considered for using a mobile phone while crossing the road or walking on the roadway. The measure would also cover laptops, notebooks, tablets and similar devices.

However, the €75 figure has not yet been officially confirmed, as the full draft text has not been made public.

Italy's Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has launched a consultation on a draft of the new highway code, which is being reviewed by around 100 operators and professional associations. The consultation is due to close on September 13.

Using earphones or a hands-free device would remain allowed, provided pedestrians can still hear adequately with both ears.

The aim is to address the problem of people being so focused on their screens that they pay less attention to traffic around them.

Italian courts have already recognised that a driver's liability can, in certain circumstances, be excluded when a pedestrian behaves in a sudden and unforeseeable way that makes a collision impossible to avoid. 

The proposed rules would now go a step further by making certain unsafe pedestrian behaviours punishable in their own right, even when no accident occurs.