Fines and penalties, like it or not, represent a source of revenue for local governments, as well as a system to crack down on wrongdoing that still represents harm to the community. In short, cross for those who have to pay them, delight for those who collect them.
The Ministry of the Interior has released the most recent data on fine revenue in major Italian cities. Milan, Rome, and Turin rank high in a ranking that is not 100 per cent reliable. That’s because local authorities, following a 2010 law (which became operational only in 2020), must transmit to the Viminale by May 31 each year. Or rather they should, because there is no shortage of noncompliance. Indeed.
The ranking of municipalities where the most is being collected
However, by the counts Milan emerges as the undisputed capital of traffic penalties that has stung motorists to the tune of 102 million 685 thousand euros, of which as much as 12 million 978 thousand euros have flowed in from speed cameras placed on the city’s main arteries. The second position belongs to Rome (which has forfeited 94 million and 180 thousand euros, of which 4 million 650 thousand euros were guaranteed by speed cameras) and the third to Turin (41 million and 553 thousand euros, of which 5 were the responsibility of electronic “eyes”). In the rest of Italy? Of the total 9 million 550 thousand euros indicated by the City of Naples, only 27 thousand euros came from speed cameras, while Perugia, Bari, Campobasso and Catanzaro, under the same heading, declare an eloquent “zero.” Striking is the case of the municipality of Melpignano (Lecce), which reports almost 5 million euros in fines for speeding (thus more than the entire capital) and nothing as far as other violations of the Highway Code are concerned. The ranking of municipalities where the most money is collected
Not just speed
The ranking is enriched with other items: double-parking or jaywalking, lack of insurance or car inspection, and drunk driving. In short, the classic Italic vices that in some cases represent a real danger even for honest motorists and citizens. Unlike a few years ago, where not getting ‘caught’ was definitely easier, today Law Enforcement Agencies have increasingly sophisticated tools to ferret out those who break the rules. Chief among them is undoubtedly Viasat’s Street Control, which is an indispensable tool for mobile control, capable of actively contributing to road safety and compliance with the law.
The solution is characterized by ease of use, introducing important features for reading license plates of moving or stationary vehicles. Checks are carried out, depending on the available databases, for administrative defaults (Insurance, Revision), stolen vehicles or other queries to databases defined by the Authority with Black List or White List.