The Polizia Stradale in Italy.

So here we have the Italian lira, nominal - 500. The year of issue of this coin is 1997, mint: Rome, Italy. Total circulation – 40.000.000. The coin is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Italian Traffic Police (Polizia Stradale).

During the reconstruction after World War II the number of automobiles on the roads began to increase. In order to respond to the increasing requirements of this traffic, highway patrol sections were formed at 72 police headquarters with the employment of 2600 men and numerous motorcycles of various origins, mostly military surplus, in the first months of 1946.

The PS was established by a decree issued 26 November 1947 signed by the former Temporary Head of the State, Enrico de Nicola. He established the tasks of the service and its organization, attributing some the management not to the Ministry of the Public Works but to the Interior.

Subsequently the Polizia Stradale was organized into departments with regional responsibility and sections with local competence with subordinate sub-sections and detachments. The necessity of centralized control has increased with the passing of the years.

The Polizia Stradale patrols the 7,000 kilometers of motorways (autostrada) in Italy and the main highways and arterial roads outside towns. Missions include the prevention and detection of driving offences, traffic accident reporting, planning and carrying out services to regulate traffic, providing escorts for road safety, protecting and controlling the road network, rescue operations and cooperation in the collection of traffic flow data.