Car driving in Italy
Italian driving laws, rules, regulations, enforcement & fines
The main rules for driving in Italy that you are likely to get fined or stopped for are that you must drive with car lights on at all times, seatbelts on at all times, and have in your posession all relevant documentation, a warning triangle and a reflective jacket.
Regular roadside stops are quite common in Italy; if you are unlucky enough to be stopped whilst driving on holiday in Italy, you must have all insurance and rental docs available plus your driving licence.
If you do break one of these Italian driving laws then fines are on the spot and usually about €40-€70 for lights, lack of documents or seat belts and €100 upward for speeding and this is also likely to add points to your driving licence.
The speed limit in Italy and use of Speed cameras
The Italian speed limit is usually 50kmh in town, 80kmh on provincial roads or A roads and 110 on dual carriageways/ motorways/ autostrada. In recent years speed cameras have been fitted in many places, predominantly on approaches into and out of villages, they take the form of a light blue or orange metal box that’s about 4 foot high.
Beware also hidden average speed cameras fitted on entry into and out of fast sections of road (we have a nasty one locally on the SS78 road between Comunanza and Ascoli Piceno).
Kids car booster seats and child-seats in Italy
There are many articles on line about kids car booster seats in Italy, but I have never seen any of the local families using them and in 7 years never heard of an Italian kids car booster seat law being enforced, that is, if there is a law. W
e never used child car booster seats for our children, who were 7 & 9 when we first arrived, and we have friends with 5 kids who are stopped quite regularly, they have no childseats or car booster seats fitted and have never been fined.
So if you are concerned with the law on childrens booster seats in Italy, we would say that its unlikely to be an issue, if you wish to do it for safety reasons that is another matter. Here is the AAs advice about driving in Italy , and an article from expats in Italy on the subject of childs car booster seats in Italy which seems to indicate that it may be a common EU law but one that is never enforced in Italy.
If you have all the documents, have your lights on, are all wearing belts and were not speeding then even if there is a little used booster seat rule and you happen to be unlucky enough to find the one policeman in all of Italy who is enforcing it then you just say “sono inglese/irlandese/americano/ollandese…, non parlo italiano” and wave your hands a bit and I’m positive that they wont press the issue. I’m sure the Italian rental car companies in Italy know this as well, but are cashing in all the same for overpriced booster seats.
Cut your Italian car rental costs and use these driving tips on a holiday to the stunning region of Le Marche
The above tips for car driving in Italy are our own views formed from many years of life in Italy and you may find that law enforcement may differ from region to region.
The Italian driving tips aim will hopefully help you make decisions about which hire car company to use in Italy, what driving douments to bring and what to rent. We would recommend performing an Italy car hire cost comparison before choosing a car rental company in Italy and hope that it helps you cut the cost of your holiday or vacation in Italy.
We really recommend that you consider the stunning Le Marche region of Italy and consider a holiday at Villa San Raffaello a converted farmhouse in Sarnano, named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy,
