Italy's new highway code targets distracted pedestrians on phones

Italy's updated highway code will target pedestrians who stare at their mobile phones while crossing the road, as the transport ministry strives to improve road safety by cracking down on distracted walkers, the Guardian reported on Monday.

The draft rules follow several court rulings that assigned blame for road accidents to careless pedestrians, a shift in legal precedent that has reshaped how liability is apportioned between drivers and those on foot.

Under the proposed measures, pedestrians caught crossing while using their phones could face fines, part of a broader revision of the highway code that officials say is meant to reduce accidents in Italy's densely trafficked urban centres.

The Guardian's report, published Monday, said the updated code is still in draft form, with the transport ministry seeking to address what it describes as a growing hazard on Italian streets. The move comes after a series of court rulings that found pedestrians bore responsibility for collisions when they were distracted by their devices, a legal evolution that has attracted attention from road-safety campaigners across Europe.

The proposed fines are part of a wider package of highway-code changes that Italian authorities have been preparing, though the Guardian noted that the measures have yet to be finalised. The focus on pedestrian behaviour marks a notable departure from earlier campaigns that centred almost exclusively on driver conduct, including speeding and drink-driving.

For Piedmont's industrial cities, the measure carries particular weight. Turin, the region's capital, has invested heavily in pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, from widened pavements in the city centre to new cycling lanes along the Po, and local officials have long argued that road safety depends on shared responsibility. The region's commuter towns, where workers often walk from train stations to factories along busy arterial roads, could see the rules take practical effect if the code is approved.

The Guardian's report did not specify a timeline for the code's adoption, but noted that the transport ministry has framed the changes as a response to recent court rulings. Road-safety groups in other European countries have watched the Italian approach with interest, as similar debates over pedestrian phone use have emerged in France, Germany and the UK.

The draft code has yet to be debated in parliament, where it is likely to face scrutiny from both cycling advocates and pedestrian associations. The former have welcomed any measure that clarifies rules of the road, while the latter have cautioned that enforcement should not unfairly penalise walkers in a country where infrastructure gaps often force pedestrians into unsafe situations.