Photo: gawker.com
Vehicular manslaughter while DIU becomes a very serious offense in Italy after a new bill has passed, with the motorists who cause the deaths of other road users or pedestrians while drunk or drugged now facing homicide charges.
It's been four years since several Italian organizations set off to make a law change and install more severe penalties for motorists who cause the death of others while driving or riding with alcohol or drug impairment. The efforts of the Associazione Lorenzo Guarnieri, ASAPS, and Gabriele Borgogna have finally paid off as the House and Senate voted for a new bill that stipulates harsher penalties for certain road crimes.
Namely, the bill puts an end to the quasi-impunity in some vehicular manslaughter cases, adding a lot of weight when these deaths occur as a result of alcohol or drug impairment, or when committing serious violations.
The new Italian law, which passed with 149 votes in favor, three against and 15 abstentions, states that a motorist who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs will face homicide charges and can be sentenced to 3 to 12 years in jail.
A sober driver that travels at more than twice the legal speed and causes a fatal crash may spend 8 years in prison, under the new law. The penalties are three times bigger if multiple lives are lost.
The penalties for motorists that cause serious injuries jump from 3 to 5 years in prison, and from 4 to 7 years in case of very serious injuries. Insella reports that operating a vehicle with a 0.8 g/l BAC and making dangerous maneuvers that result in serious injuries is punishable with 1.5-3 years in jail, whereas very serious injuries will attract sentences of 2 to 4 years in prison.
Namely, the bill puts an end to the quasi-impunity in some vehicular manslaughter cases, adding a lot of weight when these deaths occur as a result of alcohol or drug impairment, or when committing serious violations.
The new Italian law, which passed with 149 votes in favor, three against and 15 abstentions, states that a motorist who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs will face homicide charges and can be sentenced to 3 to 12 years in jail.
A sober driver that travels at more than twice the legal speed and causes a fatal crash may spend 8 years in prison, under the new law. The penalties are three times bigger if multiple lives are lost.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will send motorists to jail in case of serious injuries
License suspensions can be administered for periods between 10 and 30 years, as complementary penalties. The new bill also increases the responsibility of the motorists charged with dangerous/reckless driving that cause fatal crashes or whose victims succumb to their injuries after a crash.The penalties for motorists that cause serious injuries jump from 3 to 5 years in prison, and from 4 to 7 years in case of very serious injuries. Insella reports that operating a vehicle with a 0.8 g/l BAC and making dangerous maneuvers that result in serious injuries is punishable with 1.5-3 years in jail, whereas very serious injuries will attract sentences of 2 to 4 years in prison.
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