ROME, ITALY - A new legislation making alarmed child car seats compulsory was implemented in Italy, starting on Thursday, after several cases of children being forgotten by parents inside cars were registered in the country.
Passed by parliament in September last year, the law entered into force after the necessary implementing regulation was published this October, the Transport Ministry said in a statement. It amends Art. 172 of the Italian Highway Code, making mandatory for parents to use the special car seats for their children up to the age of four.
The anti-abandonment seats are set in order to raise an electronic safety alarm in case a child is left alone inside the car by hurried parents. In its statement, the Transport Ministry also specified that a special national fund would be set up to contribute 30 euros (R500) for each devise purchased by families.
The rules to access such contribution would be approved in the next a few days, according to the ministry. The new legislation was deemed necessary since a number of fatal incidents occurred across the country in recent years. At least eight such cases were registered in the last 12 years, according to Ansa news agency, citing data provided by Italy's Emergency Medical Service 118 in September.
The new rules apply to all residents in Italy and to foreigners visiting the country. Those non complying would receive a fine ranging from 81 to 324 euros and a five-point deduction from their driving license, in accordance with the points-based penalty system envisaged by the country's Highway Code.