AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- Aviano Air Base military personnel, civilians and dependents driving a privately or government owned vehicle in Italy must obey the direction of Italian law enforcement authority, U.S. military and security forces.
Failure to comply with traffic laws, signals, or directions of law enforcement authority may result in suspension or revocation of a driver's license, withdrawal of vehicle registration privileges, or both, and citation by military or Italian police.
The following are some Italian and Aviano AB laws and regulations that military personnel must follow:
1. Italian law prohibits the use of cellular phones while operating a motor vehicle unless a hands-free device is used.
2. Wear seat belts when the vehicle is in motion. Armed Forces Italy plated vehicles must have seat belts mounted for every occupant in the vehicle. Italian law states that all children up to 12 years of age, with exception if the child is taller than 59 inches, must be placed in a child restraint seat.
3. It is illegal to ride in the back of open-bed pickup trucks, on or off base, in Italy.
4. It is Air Force policy that all military personnel and their dependents must wear an approved bicycle safety helmet on and off the installation when riding a bicycle. Highly visible or reflective outer garments are required during hours of darkness or inclement weather. Air Force Instruction 91-207, the US Air Force Traffic Safety Program, requires all personnel riding mopeds or motorcycles wear a brightly colored or contrasted vest or jacket as an outer upper garment during the day and reflective vest at night. Outer upper garments must be clearly visible and not covered with backpacks or other items.
5. Unless otherwise posted, all vehicles approaching from the right, including bicycle have the right of way at uncontrolled intersections. The same basic rule applies at traffic circles. Motorists should pay particular attention to road signs and markings as rules may differ from place to place. Drivers must yield the right of way to trolley cars and trams when crossing tracks.
6. Drivers should also adjust to provide for the large number of small vehicles on European roads as compared to stateside traffic. Bicycles and scooters have the same rights and privileges in traffic as automobiles. Operators of these smaller vehicles assume the same responsibilities and observe all regulations applying to other vehicle. Be prepared to allow for many unexpected actions by operators of small two-wheeled vehicles, and be extremely alert when driving.
7. Use extreme caution when making turns at intersections. Smaller vehicles often stop in potential blind spots to the rear or to either side of the vehicle and will proceed directly into one's path of travel.
8. It is forbidden to begin passing another vehicle when the driver proceeding or following has already signaled their intention to pass. It is also forbidden to pass any vehicle stopped to allow pedestrians to cross.
9. Vehicles being overtaken must stay as close as possible to the right edge of the road. If a cyclist is ahead of the vehicle on a narrow street, slow down and wait until the cyclist can be overtaken with adequate clearance.
10. Italian law does not require that drivers stop for buses (school or other) loading or unloading passengers. However, on base, drivers are required to stop on both sides of the street for all buses loading or unloading passengers.
11. All motor vehicles stopped on roads must have signal devices on to alert other drivers of their position. If the vehicle is disabled on the autostrada, park within the lines of the emergency lane or shoulder with signal devices on and place a warning triangle 100 meters to the rear of the vehicle to alert oncoming traffic. Any person exiting a vehicle, for any type of maintenance or just to place the required warning triangle, must wear a reflective vest at all times. Those not wearing the vest could receive fines from 33 Euros to 137 Euros. If your vehicle is disabled on a curve, you must place the warning triangle at the beginning of the curve to alert oncoming traffic.
12. Speed is the No. 1 cause of fatal vehicle accidents involving Americans in Italy. The vehicle speed (in kilometers per hour) must be adjusted to road, traffic and weather conditions. Drivers may not exceed 50 kph in urban areas outside the town center. For American specification vehicles, use the vehicle kilometer gauge usually located underneath the miles per hour (mph) gauge on the instrument panel. If the vehicle has no kph gauge, here is a quick formula for converting mph to kph. A km is approximately 6/10 of a mile; convert to mph by multiplying the number of kph by 0.6. For example: 30 kph x 0.6 = 18.0 or 18 mph. To convert mph to kph, divide mph by 0.6.
13. Additional speed limitations include: The maximum speed limit in rural areas, unless otherwise posted, is 90 kph. A fine may be imposed for exceeding the posted speed limit. Fines will increase by the number of kilometers exceeding the speed limit. The maximum speed limit on the autostrada is 130 kph under normal conditions, 110 kph if it is raining and 50 kph in the fog.
14. Vehicle headlights are required to be turned on at all times when outside of an urban area. It is highly suggested to keep headlights on at all times, everywhere. Use of parking lights is mandatory when parked on the side of public highways. Exceptions are motorcycles and vehicles parked in appropriate parking slots or in areas where public lighting is adequate. Headlights are required to be on at all times when driving on the autostrada.
(Information courtesy of Aviano Air Base Pamphlet 24-301)