The Saturday night road accidents which have become a tragic fact of life in Italy are no longer an isolated phenomenon: Sunday skiing accidents are sadly becoming more and more common. To tackle this dangerous situation, a law is about to be passed, as often happens in Italy: wearing a crash helmet will become compulsory for skiers under 14, and whoever manages a ski lift will have to have insurance cover.
The bill, as yet in the early stages of parliamentary procedure, will codify the obligation for safety in skiing. In addition to the two main points of helmets for under-14s and insurance, skiing areas will be reserved for individual disciplines (downhill, snowboarding etc), and there will be rules for on-piste behaviour. And that’s not all: ski “traffic†will be regulated with “road†signs, and breathalysers may even be introduced to test skiers’ alcohol levels.
So there it is: we shall be insured, protected and sober. And while they’re discussing whether traffic lights or roundabouts are better on ski-runs, they’ve maybe yet again forgotten to make common sense compulsory…
