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ANARCHY, ignorance of the law or just a belief that rules are optional: Italian behaviour in traffic is a colourful, and worrying, mosaic. Government ministers with seat belts left unbuckled police cars that ignore red lights parking on pedestrian crossings mobile phones glued to drivers’ ears and widespread speeding on every road from country lanes to autostrade—such is the anarchy of the road in Italy. Five times as many people are injured on Italian roads as on French ones and, although the number has fallen in recent years, road deaths in Italy are still far higher than in many other large European countries.
A new highway code offers hope that Italians will improve their behaviour behind the wheel. Parts of the code await ministerial decrees, some of which will be issued over the next six months. But important sections covering road safety have already entered into force. One deals with pedestrian crossings, where injuries and deaths are common, thanks in part to the failure of town councils to ensure that road markings are clear and crossings well lit. Yet although the new code promises a “more rigorous right of way” for pedestrians, instructing drivers to stop at crossings when a pedestrian is about to cross, this will be difficult to enforce in a country where the car has always come first.

A. 어휘
code 법도, 법전, 암호. Roads to ruin 파멸로 가는 길.
optimistic 낙관적인. impose 강요하다. ANARCHY 무정부상태, 혼란.
ignorance 무시하는 것. optional 선택자유의, 任意(임의)의.
mosaic 잡동사니의. ministers 장관. unbuckled 벨트를 잠그지 않고.
with seat belts left unbuckled 좌석벨트를 잠그지 않은 채로.
pedestrian 步行者(보행자). crossings 횡단보도.
glued 아교로 붙이다, 접착하다.
mobile phones glued to drivers’ ears 운전자의 귀에 붙어있는 휴대폰.
widespread speeding 널리 퍼진 과속. country lanes 시골의 小路(소로).
autostrade 고속도로. behind the wheel 운전 중에.
decrees 法令(법령). ministerial decrees 長官(장관)의 令(령), 部令(부령).
issue 公布(공포)하다. section 법령의 條項(조항).
town councils 市議會(시의회).
crossings well lit 횡단보도 表示燈(표시등)의 조명이 잘 된.
rigorous 엄격한, 정밀한. instruct 명령하다, 지시하다.
enforce 집행하다.