Two hundred euros for driving with a cell phone, almost 4 thousand euros if you exceed the limit by more than 60 kilometers per hour. From January, fines for motorists could increase by 17.6% if adjusted for inflation accumulated over the last four years. Even if things go well, the increase could stop at 6%.
The Highway Code establishes this. Article 195 requires that fine costs be updated every two years. In the last two years (2023-2024), the Meloni government had suspended the adaptation. A temporary freeze, decided to deal with high energy prices and the post-pandemic economic crisis. However, by 2025 the adjustment seems inevitable and could weigh heavily on motorists’ pockets. The stroke will depend on the starting criterion. Whether the two-year suspension will be taken into account or not. Hence the two possibilities: +6% or +17.6%.
According to estimates, if inflation was to be recovered for the entire four-year period (82021-2024) the increases would skyrocket to record levels. Any examples? For those who exceed the speed limits of 10 km per hour there will be a fine of 203 euros, 800 euros for exceeding speeds between 10 and 40 kilometers per hour and 4 thousand euros over 60 kilometers per hour. The fines for prohibited parking could vary from 194 to 776 euros for cars, while for mopeds the range would be between 98 and 385 euros. Ignoring a red light could cost up to 195 euros.
The automatic increase in fines is provided for by law and is based on the consumer price index for families of workers and employees (FOI index). The suspension decided in recent years did not eliminate the obligation to update, which now includes backward inflation. If the stricter interpretation prevailed, fines would increase by almost a fifth. The adjustment also has economic implications on the receipts of the State and local authorities which would exceed 2 billion euros in 2025.
The National Consumers Union and other associations have criticized the possible increase, calling it a “sting” for citizens already affected by inflation on basic necessities. According to Codacons, in the first ten months of 2024 alone, Italian families spent 1.3 billion euros on fines. What will happen? If the government does not intervene to change the rule, the increase will be triggered automatically, bringing the sanctions to unprecedented levels.
