Giambrone's Italian Criminal Lawyer Reviews Italian Vehicular Homicide Bill

Despite conflict between senior government partners over the bill’s severity, the bill received a majority149 votes in the Italian Senate, verses 15 abstentions, and just 3 against.

Giambrone’s criminal lawyer Donatella Sicomo said that, ‘this law represents a huge change in the Italian criminal system, as before most accidents were resolved with minimal sentences or with just fines.’ Donatella further explained that increasing focus will be placed on the evidence from the use of the breathalyzer test, as specific variations in the characteristics of the individual and the conditions in which the person is found at the time of the test could lead to different results. As well as this, in the case of drugs, there may be issues relating to the fact that Italian legislation considers some medicines as drugs, which could impair driving ability, such as antidepressants or anti-inflammatories.

 “In 2014, there were approximately 3,500 road deaths in Italy compared to 1,807 in the UK.”

The change in the law means that drivers who drink or take drugs and then drive, may be sentenced to between 2 and 7 years in jail if they cause the death of 1 person and up to 18 years if there cause the death of multiple victims. In the event of a conviction for murder or road injuries the license will also be automatically revoked. A new license will then only be obtainable after 15 years (for murder) or 5 years (for injury).

Donatella Sicoma has worked on several major criminal law cases and her background includes cases regarding illegal immigration, drug trafficking and medical malpractice. You can contact the Italian criminal team here.