71% of Italian speed cameras were illegal, everything changes now. News from the Salvini Decree

Thirty-four years of waiting and a single pen stroke are enough to redraw the map of Italian speed cameras. The decree published in the Official Gazette has systematically established characteristics, requirements, and procedures for the approval, calibration, and functionality verification of devices for detecting speed limit violations.

The immediate result is a clear selection: from a pool that had exceeded 10,000 installed devices over the years (often hidden or duplicated along the same stretch), the ministry now certifies 3,150 devices that are already compliant and operational. The remaining 850, still lacking the required specifications, will need to be stopped until their respective manufacturers complete the homologation process with the supplementary documentation required by the text.

There is no room for interpretation: the detection rate for vehicles must be at least 90%, while the correct association between speed and vehicle, image acquisition, and license plate recognition must ensure reliability of no less than 95%. On the precision front, the maximum deviation from the reference instrument cannot exceed 3 km/h up to a detected speed of 100 km/h, and then it shifts to a tolerance of 3% beyond that threshold.

A response to the judicial chaos surrounding null fines Behind the measure is a long sequence of court rulings that had jeopardized the legal standing of thousands of citations. The judiciary has repeatedly distinguished between simple technical approval from the ministry and actual homologation, recognizing as null the penalties imposed by devices lacking the second step. Assoutenti had estimated that 71% of Italian speed cameras were in a state of formal irregularity, a figure that explains the volume of appeals filed by motorists against municipalities.

To remedy the situation, the decree distinguishes two paths. Devices approved before June 2017 must pass a document verification or technical tests and new calibrations to obtain full homologation. Those approved after that date, on the other hand, will receive automatic homologation without further bureaucratic steps.

The numbers on penalties reflect a sector already in contraction even before the new decree. In 2025, fines from speed cameras decreased by 8.9% compared to the previous year, resulting in a total income for municipalities of 56.5 million euros.

Minister Matteo Salvini claims the turnaround by speaking of a transition "from a jungle of over 10,000 speed cameras, often hidden and repeated, to 3,150 regular and compliant devices." More cautious is Codacons, which, while appreciating the measure, defines it as late: the association recalls that since April 2024, when the Supreme Court declared null the penalties imposed by only approved and not homologated devices, an unprecedented dispute has opened between motorists and local authorities. Only time will tell the benefits and drawbacks of the new approach.