Italy to crack down on e-scooters after deaths and accidents

FILE PHOTO: People ride electric scooters past the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, September 18, 2020. Picture taken September 18, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government on Tuesday announced a crackdown on the use of electric scooters on city streets, looking to cut accidents, reduce injuries and prevent pavements from becoming cluttered obstacle courses.

Updating Italy's highway code, the government also announced it would suspend driving licences for people caught using a mobile phone while behind the wheel and promised zero tolerance for anyone found drunk or on drugs while driving.