Source: Reuters

Italy’s parliament has approved a bill mandating helmet use and insurance for e-scooter riders, while introducing stricter penalties for improper parking as part of a comprehensive update to the highway code. The Senate finalised the law with an 83-47 vote.

E-scooter usage has grown significantly in Italy, mirroring trends in other European countries. However, this increase has been accompanied by a rise in accidents and complaints from drivers and pedestrians about violations of safety and parking rules. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, in a social media post, stated, “No more wild scooters,” adding that e-scooters will now require license plates and will be prohibited from cycle lanes, pedestrian areas, and non-urban roads.

According to national statistics institute ISTAT, road accidents involving e-scooters that resulted in injuries rose to 3,365 in 2023, with 21 fatalities, compared to 2,929 injuries and 16 fatalities in 2022. Other European cities have also imposed restrictions on e-scooter use. In 2023, Paris banned rented electric scooters following an April referendum, while Madrid implemented a similar ban in September 2023.

Proponents of e-scooters argue they offer a low-cost, zero-emission alternative to public transportation in cities like Rome and Milan, where they are popular with both residents and tourists. Rental companies criticised the new restrictions as excessive. They emphasised that e-scooters are equipped with speed controls and geo-localisation features, which help prevent misuse.

“They have a technology that inhibits certain bad behaviors that are the source of the most serious accidents,” said Andrea Giaretta, Vice President for Southern and Western Europe, Middle East at Dott. Giorgio Cappiello, Head of Institutional Relations in Italy for Bird, another rental company, described the new rules as “completely ideological” and noted that his company reported no fatalities involving their vehicles in 2022 and 2023.

The updated highway code also introduces harsher penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and includes a prison sentence of up to seven years for abandoning animals on the road if it results in accidents. Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister and leads the hard-right League party, stated that the revisions were developed after extensive consultations, with the shared aim of reducing road fatalities in Italy.