Italian Police Fines 103-Year-Old Woman Driving to Friends with Expired Licence and no Insurance

Police in northern Italy recently received a report of dangerous driving in Bondeno at night. The call came in at around 1am, reporting dangerous driving in the centre of the town of Bondeno near Ferrara.

Officers sent to the scene in the northern Emilia-Romagna region were "very surprised to discover the driver's year of birth".

Giuseppina Molinari, known as Giosse, was born in 1920. Her driving licence expired two years ago and her insurance was not renewed. In Italy, drivers over the age of 80 must undergo a medical examination every two years to renew their licence.

The lively elderly woman, who also makes the 10-kilometre daily shopping trip, was on her way home from a quiet evening with friends at the Bondeno Workers' Home to play the burraco, her great passion. However, the journey ended when the driver lost her bearings and could no longer find her way home. 

A bystander alerted the police to the presence of a white Fiat Panda driving dangerously in the Republic Square, continuing to drive around the same streets.

"The police were friendly," the detained woman explains. "In my life, I have always worked first at a sugar factory and then in the countryside. I have always cared about my autonomy, and now I will use a bicycle to get around or buy a scooter."

Her vehicle was picked up by a tow truck, which loaded it up and transported it to a location specified by the driver. The woman was finally taken home by the police, putting an end to her "good" night. The news of the incident sparked laughter in the communities of Bondeno and Vigarano Piove, where the woman who will soon blow out the 104th candle is known and has many friends.