Between summer departures, busy roads and long car journeys, a tool still little known by motorists comes back into the spotlight: the overtaking meter. The name resembles that of the speed camera, but its task is different. It was not created to calculate the speed of a vehicle, but to document overtaking maneuvers carried out in sections where they are prohibited or particularly dangerous.
Cameras and detection systems allow us to reconstruct what happened on the road, identify the vehicle through its license plate and allow the traffic police to ascertain the infringement even at a later time. The driver, therefore, does not necessarily have to be stopped immediately: the Highway Code expressly excludes the obligation of immediate notification in the event of prohibited overtaking.
How the overtaking meter works
The overtaking meter is a system intended for the automatic documentation of violations of the overtaking ban. It can be installed in places where a risky maneuver risks causing head-on collisions or particularly serious accidents, for example along stretches with poor visibility, curves, bumps or roadways where signs prohibit passing other vehicles.
When the system detects the passage of the vehicle in the controlled area, the cameras collect the images necessary to document the maneuver and the license plate. The material then allows the police to verify whether the vehicle actually carried out a prohibited overtaking and to proceed with the reporting.
It is therefore not a camera that automatically triggers a fine for any lane change. Conduct contrary to the rules must be documented and the type of sanction depends on the violation actually contested.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport approved the first device called “Sorpassometer” already in 2008. The authorization was subsequently extended to the SV2 version in 2011 and to the more recent SV3 with a decree dated December 2024. Talking about a completely new device is therefore inappropriate: the novelty mainly concerns technological evolution and the growing attention towards these systems.
In February 2026, the Ministry also approved another device capable of ascertaining, in addition to speed limits and running red lights, also infringements of the overtaking ban. However, there is no single “national overtaking meter” switched on simultaneously on all Italian roads: the devices must be approved and are used by the competent authorities on the sections subject to control.
When the fine is triggered
The sanction does not depend on simply passing in front of the camera, but on the maneuver recorded. Article 148 of the Highway Code establishes that, before overtaking, the driver must check that he has sufficient visibility, that no other vehicle has already started the same maneuver and that the road is free for all the space necessary to complete it without creating danger or obstruction.
The driver must signal the manoeuvre, move to the left, overtake quickly while maintaining an adequate lateral distance and return to the right as soon as possible. On roads with multiple lanes, overtaking must take place using the one immediately to the left of the vehicle to be overtaken.
Overtaking is prohibited, except for the exceptions provided by law, near or in correspondence with curves and bumps and in all cases of poor visibility. The ban also concerns some intersections, level crossings without barriers and overtaking a vehicle that has slowed down or stopped in front of a pedestrian crossing to let pedestrians pass.
Overtaking on the right is also normally prohibited, but should not be confused with simple overtaking. The latter can occur, for example, when a driver continues to proceed regularly in the right lane and ends up in front of a slower car remaining in the central lane. When overtaking on the right, however, the driver changes lane specifically to overtake the vehicle in front and then returns.
How much do fines cost?
The amounts change based on the severity of the conduct. Overtaking on the right outside of the permitted cases or a maneuver carried out without respecting the general safety conditions can result in an administrative fine of between 83 and 332 euros.
For violations of the most serious prohibitions, such as overtaking on bends, on speed bumps, in conditions of poor visibility, in certain intersections or in front of pedestrian crossings, the fine ranges from 167 to 665 euros. Added to these violations is the suspension of the license from one to three months.
Even more severe treatment is foreseen for drivers of vehicles with a mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes who do not respect the specific overtaking bans: the fine can range from 327 to 1,308 euros, with suspension of the license for two to six months.
For those who have had their license for less than three years, the suspension linked to the most serious violations can last from three to six months. Points deducted from the license may also be added to the sums to be paid, according to the violation reported in the report. For new drivers, during the first three years, the expected reduction is doubled.
The overtaking meter, in other words, does not provide for an autonomous fine: it is only the tool through which the behavior is documented. The amount derives from the article of the Highway Code violated and can change significantly depending on the location, the type of vehicle and the danger caused.
The fine can arrive without being stopped
One of the most important aspects concerns protest. The driver may not realize he has been caught and continue his journey without encountering any patrol. The Highway Code in fact allows for subsequent notification of violations relating to prohibited overtaking and those ascertained through devices managed by the police when it is not possible to stop the vehicle safely or in good time.
In these cases the report must be notified, as a rule, within 90 days of the assessment. When only the license plate can be identified from the images, the communication is sent to the owner of the vehicle.
If the violation results in a loss of points and the driver was not identified on site, the owner must notify who was driving within 60 days. Failure to communicate, without a justified and documented reason, entails a further fine of between 291 and 1,166 euros, separate from the original fine.
Does the continuous line always mean no overtaking?
The presence of the continuous stripe prevents you from crossing it, but the violation of the road markings and prohibited overtaking are not necessarily the same infringement. To understand what is being contested, it is necessary to check the behavior reported and the articles indicated in the report.
A vehicle could, for example, cross the continuous line without completing an overtaking or perform a maneuver that integrates multiple violations at the same time. The investigating bodies will qualify the conduct on the basis of the images and road conditions.
For this reason there is no single amount valid for all fines produced through the overtaking meter. Before evaluating a possible appeal it is necessary to check the location of the investigation, the description of the manoeuvre, the license plate, the date, the time and the provision of the Highway Code referred to.
What anyone traveling by car needs to know
The return of attention to the overtaking meter does not introduce a new rule for motorists. The principle remains the one already provided for by the Highway Code: the maneuver can only be started when there is sufficient space and visibility to complete it without risks.
The difference is that behaviors that were once difficult to challenge without the direct presence of a patrol can now be documented remotely. It is therefore not enough to slow down in front of a camera, as often happens near a speed camera: the overtaking meter observes the manoeuvre.
And when overtaking is carried out in the wrong place, the consequence can go far beyond a simple fine, up to the loss of points and the suspension of the licence.
