Overview

• An 18-year-old newly licensed driver entered the A1 at Modena Sud in an Ape car on August 2 and was intercepted by Polizia Stradale within minutes.
• The driver tested negative for alcohol but faces fines up to €8,000, a three-month impoundment of his vehicle and possible license revocation for wrong-way driving.
• Since January Italy has recorded 56 wrong-way motorway entries, resulting in nine fatalities and multiple serious injuries in crashes on the A4, A32 and Parma ring road.
• Fatal head-on collisions involving elderly drivers in late July and early August highlighted weaknesses in signage, ramp layouts and detection alarms.
• ASAPS-Sipidata, highway concessionaires and the Polizia Stradale have launched technical reviews and are debating tighter licensing and fitness assessments to curb further incidents.