The number of accidents and deaths on federal highways grew in 2021, compared to 2020, interrupting a series of consecutive declines observed since 2011. The data are contained in the 2021 Yearbook, released today (17) by the Federal Highway Police (PRF).
The number of accidents rose from 63,548 in 2020 to 64,441 this year. In 2011, when the consecutive sequence of falls began, the total number of accident records stood at 192,322.
Accidents recorded in 2021 resulted in 5,381 deaths, compared to 5,291 recorded in the previous year. There was an increase in the number of wounded, from 71,480 to 71,690; and serious injuries, which rose from 17,104 to 17,601 last year.
The database presented in the yearbook begins in 2007, the year in which 127,671 accidents were recorded, resulting in 6,742 deaths and 81,307 injuries. The year with the highest number of deaths on federal highways was 2011 (with 8,675 deaths recorded). That year, the total number of accidents and injuries stood at 192,322 and 106,827, respectively.
According to the 2021 Yearbook, Minas Gerais was the state with the highest number of accidents (8,308) and of injuries (9,962) and deaths (692). Santa Catarina and Paraná come next, with a total of 7,882 and 7,330 accidents, respectively.
ranking
The survey also presents a ranking roads with the highest frequency of accidents, injuries and deaths. The stretch of BR-101 in Santa Catarina is the one that leads the ranking (4,094) and injured (4,310), followed by the BR-116 in São Paulo, which recorded 3,099 accidents and 3,151 injuries.
The highway that had the highest number of deaths was BR-116 (SP), with 173 cases. In second place was the stretch of BR-381 in Minas Gerais, with 162 deaths; and the BR-101 in Bahia, with 153 deaths.
The single-lane stretches are the ones with the highest number of accidents and deaths. In 2021, there were 31,747 accidents on this type of lane, which resulted in 3,652 deaths – a number well above the 1,494 deaths recorded in the 27,198 accidents on dual lanes. Multi-lane, multi-lane highways recorded 235 fatalities in 5,496 accidents.
Of the 64,000 accidents recorded in 2021, 38,930 occurred on a clear day; 10,950 on cloudy days; and 6,699 in rainy situations. July and December are the months with the highest number of accident records (5,808 and 5,802, respectively) and deaths (520 and 539, respectively).
Collisions and infractions
The frontal collision is the type of accident that killed the most in 2021. There were 1,585 deaths in 4,337 accidents recorded. Then came pedestrian collisions, with 897 deaths and 2,906 recorded episodes.
In all, 5.24 million infractions were applied in 2021 on federal roads. In the previous year, this number was at 5.18 million. In the historical series, the year with the highest number of infractions was 2018, when more than 7.35 million infractions were recorded. The year with the lowest number was 2007 (1.85 million infractions).
The type of infraction most committed in 2021 was traveling at a speed greater than the maximum allowed by up to 20%, with a total of 2.28 million records. The highway with the highest number of violations was BR-101, in the Rio de Janeiro section, with almost 604 thousand records.
Breathalyzer
The number of blood alcohol tests dropped significantly, from 893,344 in 2020 to 299,465 in 2021. The number of people and vehicles inspected also dropped in the same period. In 2020, 9.39 million people and 10.6 million vehicles were inspected. In 2021, those numbers dropped to 8.36 million and 9.47 million, respectively.
Regarding arrests on highways, of the 42,144 people arrested in 2021, 4,783 were for alcohol consumption; 2,870 for environmental crimes; 1,956 for smuggling and embezzlement; 2,227 for the execution of an arrest warrant; and 1,060 for carrying a false document.
Narcotics and weapons
Drug trafficking resulted in the arrest of 4,079 people on federal highways. The PRF points out that, since 2001, it has been showing increasing numbers of drug seizures across the country.
“Last year, the all-time record was for the amount of cocaine taken off federal highways: 40 tons. This number is 25% higher than the last record, which was seized in 2020.
The yearbook shows that Mato Grosso was responsible for 32% of cocaine seizures in 2021. The total number of weapons seized on highways was 2,113, most of which were pistols (1,062) and revolvers (640).
Cigarette and liquor smuggling leads the ranking of smuggling seizures. There were 7.25 million packages of cigarettes and 528,000 liters of drinks. Next are electronic devices, with 340,212 units seized.
In 2021, more than 24,000 wild animals that were mistreated and transported illegally were rescued; and more than 40 thousand cubic meters (m³) of wood were seized.
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