December
18, 2008
Proposed Tougher
DUI Law Sparks National Debate in Italy
Italian Wine
& Culture
Roma, Lazio
December 18th
Italian authorities announced this week a plan to pass stricter
DUI laws as part of an official no-tolerance approach to the
increased number of related accidents throughout the country.
The proposal from the Italian Transport Commission is expected
to be passed for approval by the Senate as early as late January,
causing a heated debate among the political world. Editorials
published in the last few days in the nation’s major
newspapers have often been at the expense of wine, often portrayed
as the culprit and the obvious choice of drink among Italians,
which prompted in turn a response from the wine community.
Tuesday’s Corriere della Sera first reported
on the Italian Transport Commission reccomendation to lower
the legally allowed blood alcohol content level, making
it easier for police and carabinieri to revoke or
suspend driver licenses. The President of the Commission,
Mario Valducci, declared “we want to reduce the blood
alcohol content level from the current 0.5% to 0.2% to give
a clear message to drivers that no drinking is allowed.”
The new measure would mean that a glass of wine for a woman,
or 1 ½ for a man, would be enough for a citation
and a 6-month suspension of the driver’s license,
especially in regards to first-time offenders between the
ages of 18-35—the age group most effected by the growing
statistics of DUI injuries and fatalities in Italy. A second
citation could mean revoking the driver license permanently.
The proposal is expected to pass to the Senate soon, after
the Commission comes to an agreement in regards to the age
limit: up to 35 years of age vs. all drivers regardless
of age. In the Senate the debate is likely to continue as
many believe the proposed measure to be too drastic, recalling
prohibition mentality to a problem that warrens more effective
solutions such as additional check points on the street,
lower speed limits and tougher sentences for repeated offenders.
The recent press has put the consumption of alcoholic beverages
at the center of the debate, provoking the response of the
country’s wine community, including an official message
from the Italian national wine association, Unione Italiana
Vini, whose President, Andrea Sartori, came to the defense
of the wine industry’s commitment to education on
the issue of responsible consumption of “a beverage
that requires a more mature approach." In his statement
Sartori added that "wine is not meant to be gulp down,
rather it is to be drunk for pleasure, to taste flavors
and aromas and to broaden one’s perception and sensitivity
to territory and memories.”
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