A proposed law and a project aimed at regulating the use of e-bikes. Safety is making a comeback, this time in the direction of prevention. Tragedies like the one in Michele Scarponi or the most recent and heartbreaking one that hit Davide rebel They are a cause for discussion and impetus to do something about the safety of cyclists on the road.
La “Scarponi Law” filed in the Senate by the senator Alberto Losacco It takes its name from the cyclist from the Marche region, reflecting a still-open wound that must be healed with safeguards. The core of the proposal consists in the introduction of a minimum overtaking distance of one and a half meters.
Il draft law, proposed by the regional councilor of Veneto Marco Dolfin, consists of a ten-point guideline on road safety relating to the circulation of e-bikes.
One and a half meters
The project, which bears the name of Michele Scarponi, provides the amendments to Articles 148 and 149 of the Highway Code regarding road safety for cyclists, introducing a minimum standing distance of one and a half metres.
This bill introduces a specific regime regarding overtaking. Article 1 states that the driver of any vehicle overtaking a bicycle is required to use all necessary precautions to ensure a greater lateral safety distance and to ensure that the aforementioned conditions exist to carry out the manoeuvre in complete safety for both vehicles. It is also expected that the obligation on the part of the driver to maintain, during the overtaking maneuver, a lateral safety distance of at least one and a half meters, adequate to avoid any type of risk.
«The numbers relating to the road accidents involving cyclists are terrifying. But we must remember – says Senator Alberto Losacco – that it is not just about numbers, but about people. In this sense it is necessary to proceed with a regulatory changes to ensure maximum safety for cyclists and accommodate the requests of professional cyclists, amateurs, and associations by introducing an overtaking distance of at least one and a half meters."
217 deaths per year
From April 22, 2017, the day in which the champion from the Marche region was hit and killed by a man driving a van while he was riding his bicycle, nothing has changed. Last November Davide Rebellin, another champion dear to all fans, he lost his life while training on the roads homeTwo tragedies that unfortunately fuel a statistic that sees Italy sadly at the top of the list.
According to data from the ASAPS Observatory (Association of Supporters and Friends of the Highway Police), 105 cyclists lost their lives on the roads in the first eight months of 2022, including four minors. From the 2018 to the 2021 In Italy, an average of 217 people died every year in bicycle accidents. More than one every two days, and if we analyze road accidents per hundred million kilometers cycled, Italy takes first place with more than five cyclists killed.
Safety for e-bikes
The advent of electric in the mobility sectors urbana It has affected all of Italy's medium-large cities, but has left regulatory gaps.Road safety first – says the regional councilor of Veneto Marco Dolfin – both for those who ride "muscle" bicycles or scooters, and more recently even pedal-assisted bicycles, also known as e-bikes. We're not talking about competitive racing, but rather normal road traffic. The time has come for full respect for the rules, both for motorists and for those who ride on two-wheelers without a motor. We need rules and good governance. decalogue of rules of conduct».
The Lega – LV councilor proposes amendments to Law 160 of December 27, 2019, relating to the "State Budget for the 2020 financial year and the 2020-2022 multi-year budget" regarding pedal-assisted bicycles.
«Law 160 regulates the use of scooters predominantly electric propulsion. Provisions which may also apply, in a similar manner, to the use of pedal-assisted bicycles governed by Article 50 of Legislative Decree No. 285 of April 30, 1992 (New Highway Code). However, Article 50 does not contain any rules for e-bikes.
The decalogue
A delicate topic, that of electric mobility, which sees continuous evolutions and a consequent exponential growth of media and users.
«From the latest Aci-Istat report – Dolfin pointed out – on road accidents in Italy relating to 2021, the accidents recorded with Electric bikes have caused proportionally many more deaths than scooters. And it's right that new rules be dictated, given the speed that pedal-assisted bicycles can reach."
The proposal is therefore focused on a series of 5 key points. E-bikes are equipped with steady white or yellow light and later on solid red light, both turned on and working well. The driver of the pedal-assisted bicycle rides wearing the reflective vest or braces high visibility after 18pm. The use of e-bikes is permitted only by users who have completed the fourteenth year of age. The use of suitable protective helmet, complies with the harmonised technical standards UNI EN 1078 or UNI EN 1080, for drivers under the age of eighteen.
It is also requested that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Development, initiate a specific investigation aimed at verifying the need for the introduction of theobligation to have third party liability insurance for damages to third parties resulting from the circulation of electric scooters and pedal-assisted bicycles.
