ROME – A woman who allegedly ran over and killed a teenage lad on the outskirts of the capital was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, police said Friday amid mounting anger over the failure by the Eternal City's notoriously corrupt traffic police to curb wild driving fuelled by drink and drugs that has sparked a constellation of tragic road deaths.  

 Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Francesco Valdiserri and a friend were walking along the pavement of Via Cristoforo Colombo when a driver lost control of her vehicle, mounted the sidewalk and slammed into the 18 year-old, killing him instantly on impact, police said. 

 The 23 year-old woman, who only a few years ago had her licence suspended for drunk driving, was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide.  Police said that the suspect’s blood alcohol concentration was almost three times over the limit and that tests for narcotic substances had come back positive.  She faces up to 12 years in prison.

 Future prime minister Giorgia Meloni sent the victim’s family a message of support, as did former AS Roma footballer, Francesco Totti.

 A statement from TG5 journalists also extended condolences to Francesco’s parents, both journalists at Corriere della Sera, and commented on the increasing danger of Roman roads:

 “Our dismay is combined with anger and indignation in the face of yet another very young life lost in the lawless nights of our ever more insecure city.”

 Francesco’s death was the sixth road-related mortality in five days in Rome.  In early October, two Belgian young women tourists, one of them pregnant, were killed in a hit-and-run incident when trying to help the victims of another accident.  In this case the suspect was again under the influence of alcohol and drugs. 

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