Urban development and traffic accidents in Brazil

Brazil started to experience high traffic accident rates since the 1960s, when road transportation began to be dominant and the number of motorized vehicles increased sharply. The severity of the problem was also related to the fast and uncontrolled urban growth, which allowed for the organization of an inherently dangerous circulation space, characterized by a complex pattern of traffic conflicts. With respect to traffic accidents, the results have been highly negative: national statistics report about 28 000 fatalities a year, with more than 340 000 injured people. The paper analyses current patterns of traffic accidents in urban areas, using the data from two of the three largest cities in the country. Hospital data are analyzed to understand the true social impacts of such accidents. Several causal factors are identified, at the political, cultural and technical sides. Challenges to change current conditions are also identified. Practical measures are suggested, especially the change of the dangerous environment and the need to improve the technical approach to the problem, education programs and enforcement logistics.