September 12, 2026: the deadline that the MIT (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) had set for us at ZERO DEATHS and other involved associations, to send the response to the request for consultations for drafting the new traffic code. No more than five points, with identified critical issues and solutions, these were the rules to be able to contribute to the formation of the reform.

We will not repeat here the number of accidents, cyclists killed, assaults that we have recorded this year as well, too many and constantly increasing, and how today the culture is far behind compared to other European countries, but that there is urgency is now a known fact.

The regulatory and cultural gaps would be far more than five, starting from the obligation to wear a helmet, from the commitment that local territorial authorities should make in cultural change, but also on a practical level, acting on dangerous situations that repeat themselves, such as in roundabouts, turns or overtaking…

One rule, however, should always apply in every situation: CAUTION, which must be doubled and tripled when vulnerable road users, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists are on the road, avoiding any maneuver that could even hypothetically endanger someone's life.

Among all of them we had to choose 5: we propose them to you in a series of articles to facilitate reading, understanding and, if you wish, also debate.

1) OBLIGATION FOR CYCLISTS TO STAY TO THE RIGHT

The obligation for cyclists to keep themselves "as close as possible to the right edge" risks being interpreted as imposition of a trajectory rigidly adhering to the edge of the roadway, even when such area presents, as mostly happens, objectively dangerous conditions.

In practice, the right edge is often affected by potholes, manhole covers, drainage grates, debris, depressions, parked vehicles, opening car doors, narrowings or other hazards that may force the cyclist to shift toward the center of the lane. Such conduct, necessary for safety, may be wrongly perceived by other drivers as irregular and induce close or untimely overtaking or be sanctioned by law enforcement intervening following an accident, thus placing the blame on the cyclist.

The formulation should therefore clarify that the obligation to stay to the right does not override the primary need to maintain a safe trajectory and that the cyclist may deviate from the edge when this is reasonably necessary to avoid foreseeable dangers.

It is also necessary to coordinate this principle with the regulations for sports cyclists, ensuring that the general rule on position on the roadway does not undermine the specific provisions introduced for their circulation.

This should be the law: «During circulation, cyclists maintain a position close to the right edge of the roadway, compatible with road conditions and with the need to maintain a safe trajectory. They may deviate from the right edge to the extent reasonably necessary to avoid potholes, road damage, debris, manhole covers, parked vehicles, opening car doors, narrowings, obstacles or other situations likely to create danger for their circulation.
Drivers of vehicles approaching must take into account such possible variation in position, promptly adjusting speed and distance and performing any overtaking only when safety conditions are met.»