Justthink what would happen if the Ministry of Transportation issued a circular advising motorists to go to the nearest DMV office to apply for an annual preventive inspection of their car in order to reduce roadside inspections. At the end of the inspection, if the response is positive, the DMV issues a blue sticker to put on the windshield.
Rest assured, rivers of articles would start, news reports on TV, the web and social media going crazy. Most of the comments would be negative. “But what do they do, preventive checks on my car in order to reduce subsequent checks? But why should they control me? Why do they start from the principle that they are not in compliance? In short, there would be a popular uprising.
BLUE STICKER, SAVE ME (BUT WHY?).
Rest assured motorists, this will not happen for now. While for the fourth consecutive year, the same Ministry of Transport issued the “Bollino blu directive” for recreational boating for boats flying the Italian flag. What is, for those who don’t, know the Blue Stamp? With an initiative unique in the world for sea (and lakes) those who want can request at the first check of safety equipment (which are already checked by a special body about every 5 years, as in cars there is the revision) a blue sticker to be affixed in a visible area (where?) so as to avoid further checks by the delegated bodies (fortunately now there are two namely Guardia di Finanza and Coast Guard) during the summer season (from this year also for those who do charter).
For this Blue Seal initiative, the trade association rattles off triumphant data, a 48 percent reduction in sea audits in 2015/2016. We are delighted with this. We are left with a question, why should they check me if I have not committed an offense? In a normal country, in the rest of the world’s seas you are stopped and checked if you have committed an infraction, not preemptively and blanket checking to see if the boat and the handler are in order, as happens in Italy. Answer, but if you have the Blue Stamp, we no longer check you. Yes but why do I have to have the blue sticker to be comfortable?
