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Feb.13,2005 -Feb.20,2005 |
Watch Those Driver's Points
Even in Italy, the threat of losing one's licence helps prevent accidents
By Alan Patarga
Originally Published: 2005-02-06
Hurrying is often a consideration, especially when one steps on the gas pedal a little too heavily. But try and say that to the officer who just stopped you and is now proceeding, mincing very few words, to take a few points off your licence. It doesn't matter whether the officer in question belongs to Italy's Carabinieri or to the Toronto Police; points exist both in Italy and in Canada, and losing them is every driver's nightmare. Watching them disappear, a few at a time, could result in a trip down memory lane: not growing young again but, simply put, being forced to take the bus.
Once upon a time, people collected points from the gas station, or the supermarket, in order to win gifts: perhaps a set of china, or a mug with the logo of an oil company -- fetishes of an age of consumerism. Nowadays, points have become a much more serious affair, because we're talking about those affecting one's driving licence. This mechanism has been in force for decades in Canada, but it's a recent novelty for Italians.
In Italy, in fact, graduated licencing was introduced with the new Road Code, in June 2003, about l40 years after Canada. Hardly a wondrous discovery, one might say. But, it works, as statistics show. Over the past year and a half, accidents have steadily, if not dramatically, reduced in number. A couple of weeks ago, Italian police and Carabinieri presented their data: in 2004, road accidents claimed 386 fewer victims, down about 9.4 percent from the previous year. Not bad. Injuries have also diminished by 6.4 percent. That's not huge, but it's something. In 2003, with graduated licencing freshly introduced, there was another 10-percent decrease in deaths. That means that in the course of two years, road-accident victims diminished by over a fifth.
Italian driving licences come with 20 points. Many violations, however, can make you lose 10 points at once; i.e., speeding by over 40 kph, passing a stopped streetcar or bus, passing near a crossroads, driving on the wrong side of the road, or driving while intoxicated with alcohol or recreational drugs. Five points can be lost for not respecting precedence, four for chatting on a cell phone while driving. In summary, losing all 20 points is not that difficult, and a police officer will seize your licence with an apologetic smile.
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