HEALTH-BRAZIL: Close on a Thousand Lives Saved by New Road Rules

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 12 1999 (IPS) - Brazil’s National Traffic Code, brought in on January 23, 1998, made a decisive contribution to reducing the number of deaths on federal highways last year.

Some 6,808 people died, 981 less that the previous year – a reduction of 12.6 percent. The total number of accidents fell 4.45 percent, but was still too high at 120,509, with a further 60,281 injured, despite a 9.37 percent reduction.

This data refers only to the inter-state roads under the jurisdiction of the Federal Highway Police – which operates accross state borders. This figure does not include urban accidents – which are more numerous – and those which take place on those highways under individual state jursidiction.

Previous registers indicate a total of around 28,000 people die in Brazil each year, with some 350,000 injured in the undeclared warfare on the highways and streets of the country.

Worldwide, traffic accidents cause half a million deaths per year, leaving 15 million people injured, according to the World Health Organisation.

The United States sees 42,000 such deaths each year, along with annual losses estimated at 150 billion dollars, making this the most costly cause of medical treatment according to national authorities.

Brazil’s indices are amongst the highest in the world in relation to the amount of vehicles in circulation. Costs reach 10 billion dollars per year, according to Doctor David Duarte Lima, president of the Forum for Peace in Transport in Brasilia.

It is hoped this new legislation will stimulate more peaceful cohabitation with motor vehicles, the cause of 3.5 percent of deaths in the country.

And initial data indicate the curve has begun to fall. Since 1992, statistics had only shown increases in accidents, deaths and injuries along the 55,000 kilometres of federal highways.

The new traffic legislationn has crashed headlong into the culture of Brazilian drivers, with heavy punishment on offenders, like prison sentences of up to eight years and fines rising to 800 dollars for repeat offenses.

Seat belts have been made obligatory both within settlements and on the open road, explaining why the number of deaths is falling faster than the total number of accidents.

Drivers with more than 20 minus points on their licenses will now face license suspension for a year as part of a system where each driver accumulates black marks for infractions, ascending in number according to the seriousness of the offence.

In the state of Rio de Janeiro, authorities estimate some 20,000 drivers have been disqualified by this mechanism. If they are caught driving any vehicle, the ban is extended to two years.

Rigorous application of the penalty could leave the city of Rio de Janeiro with practically no bus drivers, as they make up a large proportion of offenders and are well-known for their bad driving.

This situation produced a new black market of drivers who offer thier licenses for registration of the minus points of the true offenders to save the latter from losing their licenses. And this substitution can cost up to 1,200 dollars, according to advertisements seen in the press.

“The law must be applied,” assured head of the Rio de Janeiro Transport Department, Eduardo Chuay, who took over the post this week. Those sanctioned are notified by post and have 30 days to appeal to a special commission which can look into the cases.

This reduction in the number of deaths on the road reveals “a gradual increase in driver responsibility,” said Paulo Borde, Highway Police Operations chief.

Despite the more rigid laws, the number of fines handed out on the highways fell from 2.3 million in 1997 to 1.2 million in 1998.

But fear of punishment – and more especially of loss of license – has led to motorists being more cautious, said the police, although the number of accidents is still “very high” nationally.

Most accidents take place as a result of human error, speeding and dangerous overtaking. Two thirds occur on straight stretches of road, in day time and good weather, said Borde.