ITALY: An estimated 400,000 Italian teenagers were forced to hang up the keys to their scooters and walk yesterday when a new law came into force making it illegal for them to drive without a permit.
Previously anybody was allowed to drive a scooter with an engine of up to 50cc from the age of 14 without either a licence or a driving lesson. Under the new law, under 18s have to take classes in the rules of the road and pass a written test.
Motor organisations and teenagers have complained there has not been enough time to complete the courses and the tests, and only around 442,000 so-called "mini-licences" have been issued, leaving several hundred thousand more scooter drivers stranded.
Transport Minister Mr Pietro Lunardo has resisted calls to postpone the introduction of the new law but he said this week that he had appealed to traffic police "not to pursue people so as to avoid accidents".
Those caught riding their scooters without a mini-licence face a fine of more than €500 and if they are involved in an accident their insurance will not be valid.
"The high figures of road accidents, especially fatal ones, convinced the government to introduce a driving certificate for scooters," said Ms Mariolina Moioli, director general of the education ministry.
Deaths in road accidents in Italy have halved in the last three decades to around 12 in every 100,000 people a year but the rate of deaths in the 15-29 age group has barely changed.
"Perhaps the commitment to the course is a little heavy-going," said a scooter driver named Chiara who passed the test.
"But at the end of the day it's useful, as opposed to riding a scooter without understanding the road signs."