Brazil sees major road safety improvement

Brazil is benefiting from a boost in its road safety levels. Official data shows that vehicle crashes accounted for 40,500 fatalities in 2013, a decrease of 10% from the previous year. The figures show that this is the biggest drop in road fatalities since 1998, when the death rate was reduced by 13%. The road safety gain has been achieved largely by much tougher enforcement of existing rules banning drink driving and speeding. Brazil’s road safety levels are not good, with an average of 20 fatalities/100,000 inhabitants, compared with an average of eight fatalities/100,000 inhabitants for developed countries. However this improvement is a notable gain and has been achieved by a proven approach that has shown similar benefits in France and Portugal in recent years.