>>>ANSA/Boy, 5, dies in crash caused by YouTube challenge

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 15 - Investigators in Rome were on Thursday probing a fatal car crash in the southern neighbourhood of Casal Palocco Wednesday amid reports that that the driver and four passengers travelling on the Lamborghini SUV that crashed into a Smart, killing a five-year-old boy and seriously injuring his mother and younger sister, were filming a video for a YouTube challenge at the time of the accident.
    The driver, Matteo Di Pietro, aged 20, is being probed for vehicular homicide and injury, and investigators are also examining the position of the four passengers.
    All reportedly belonged to the Roman collective The Borderline, which films and posts "absurd and unique" videos on its YouTube channel, followed by 600,000 subscribers.
    Uploaded content includes challenges ranging from "24 hours on a miniature raft" to "How long can you last in ice" to "Hide-and-seek in the medieval castle" and "Live 50 hours in a Tesla".
    It seems Wednesday's challenge was to stay a few days in a Lamborghini SUV.
    The young victim has been named as Manuel Proietti.
    "I was in the house when I heard a terrifying bang and I went outside," said Lucia, 50, who lives a few metres from the site of the crash.
    "Within minutes a lot of people rushed up and a man tried to give the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," she continued, describing the scene as "gruesome".
    Local residents have placed flowers, soft toys and rainbow pinwheels at nearby trees.
    "This is a very serious issue in which questions of repression intersect with those of prevention," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told SkyTg24 on Thursday. Piantedosi said he and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini are working on a "series of initiatives" to support repression with awareness-raising activities on the risks of certain behavior at the wheel.
    For his part Salvini said repeat driving offenders who are to blame for fatal crashes should lose their driver's license for life.
    "A five-year-old boy died just outside Rome, apparently a social media challenge involving 5 YouTubers in a Lamborghini was taking place and they crushed this child," said Salvini, who is also deputy premier in the centre-right government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni.
    "If you are a repeat offender and take a person's life because you are a jerk behind the wheel, you don't see your license for the rest of your life, it's not like I suspend it for a few months," continued Salvini, addressing a meeting of the confederation of Italian cooperatives Confcooperative on Italy's new highway code.
    Over 3,000 people died in car crashes in Italy last year.
    Over 200 have died in drink and drugs fuelled weekend crashes this year, almost 100 of whom were under the age of 35. (ANSA).