06/15/2023
Sticchi Damiani: “Agreement that offers the possibility of making a difference”. Tubertini: “Health and safety are common goals”. Minardi: “Social is one of the activities of Formula Imola’s mission”. Panieri: “People at the center”.
The return to the use of the car for spinal cord injured patients is a strong incentive to facilitate their reintegration into social and working life, the path, which is possible only after acquiring a special license or converting a pre-existing one – and having equipped the vehicle of auxiliary commands necessary for driving – however, it can be particularly insidious.
For these main reasons, the Automobile Club of Italy and the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute presented at the International Circuit Enzo and Dino Ferrari, together with the other partners, the details of the agreement on road safety education and the assumption of safe, correct and responsible driving behaviour, focused on the development of contents aimed at implementing the training methodologies of ACI Ready2Go branded driving schools “to increase knowledge and attention to driving – it is written – with particular reference to programs aimed at the acquisition of a special driving license by people with disabilities” .
The press conference was attended by the President of ACI, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the Director General of the Rehabilitation Institute of Montecatone, Mario Tubertini, the President of Formula Imola, Gian Carlo Minardi and the mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri. Also present was the President of the Montecatone Onlus Foundation, Marco Gasparri.
The collaboration between ACI and MRI finds reason in the experience gained in Montecatone with the Patenti Project, a path that involves patients with an informational interview on legislation, tax breaks and the choice of the adapted vehicle (and/or the adaptations to be installed); depending on the functional clinical picture, you are then directed to the test sessions of the adapted vehicles (in Paddock 2 of the racetrack) or to those with the residual functional capacity evaluator (VCR) in the Occupational Therapy of the MRI. The process continues with the visit to the Local Medical Commission, necessary to ascertain the existence of the psycho-physical requirements and identify the best aids for optimal and safe driving. This important heritage of knowledge is the cornerstone of the agreement between ACI and MRI which today, with two separate sessions – one at the Institute and the other at the racetrack – entered its strictly operational phase. On the agenda (see attached programme), a course to standardize knowledge on the characteristics of the pathology, the technological innovations relating to adaptations for driving and a round table for comparison and mutual enrichment. Among the objectives of the agreement, there is also that of drawing up a national standard intervention protocol that can be exported for taking charge of other pathologies.
Statement by the ACI President, Angelo Sticchi Damiani
People are always at the center of our activities, especially when it comes to guaranteeing the right to mobility and safety. The agreement with the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute will give us the opportunity to make a difference and be of support to those most in difficulty, such as people with disabilities, who will therefore be able to count on specific services, customized aids, adaptations to be installed on cars according to the different abilities and to receive ad hoc training. The protocol, which also involves the Municipality of Imola and the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, is an example of how to combine the experiences of the institutions to take care of those who need to acquire a special license and strengthen knowledge, awareness and attention to drive in maximum safety for themselves and for others.
Statement by the DG of the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute, Mario Tubertini
I express my satisfaction and thank ACI for having identified the Montecatone Institute as the partner who will contribute to the implementation of a protocol in which, as it is written in the document we have signed, common interests such as health and safety of citizens converge. We believe that ours could be an important contribution both for the unanimously recognized standing of the structure – a highly specialized hospital belonging to the SSR of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the main regional center for the intensive rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries and a national reference point – and for the specific know-how on the subject.
Statement by the President of Formula Imola, Giancarlo Minardi
The relationship with the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute has consolidated over time and now represents one of the essential activities for Formula Imola which has one of its missions in the social sphere. Our structure is undoubtedly the ideal place to give people who suffer from spinal cord injuries the opportunity to test cars with driving aids in total safety. I believe that obtaining a special license is a fundamental aid in being able to reintegrate into life and this project will certainly help to achieve this result.
Statement by the Mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri
As part of an ever-increasing multifunctionality of the Autodrome, the Municipality has contributed to promoting this synergy between two territorial excellences of which the public body is also the owner. The collaboration with ACI and the Montecatone Institute, one of the cornerstones of the “IMOLA Living Lab” project, which expands the activities of the Autodrome into a hub to experiment with innovations in the fields of sustainability, road safety and inclusion. For this agreement, which sees people at the center and to whom it offers the possibility of greater autonomy, I sincerely thank the President of ACI, Angelo Sticchi Damiani for the attention and sensitivity shown in opening this collaboration. And I thank the Director General of MRI, Mario Tubertini for having worked on this protocol and above all for the strategic role that Montecatone plays through advanced research as a reference point for spinal cord injuries.