In 15 years of Prohibition, accidents caused by alcohol have dropped 76%
In 2009, drunk drivers caused 40 accidents a day; the number has dropped to almost 10 in 2023
The Dry Law (Law 11.705/08), which introduced zero tolerance for alcohol consumption at the wheel, celebrates its 15th anniversary on the 19th with the achievement of reducing the number of traffic accidents caused by the lethal combination of alcohol and driving by 76%. While in the first four months of 2009, shortly after the law came into force, drunk drivers would cause 40 traffic accidents and 2 deaths a day, by 2023 this figure had plummeted to almost 10 accidents and 1 death every 2 days. “This is unequivocal proof that Prohibition works and saves lives. It’s no wonder that several countries in the world use our legislation as an example,” says the scientific director of the Minas Gerais Traffic Medicine Association (Ammetra), Alysson Coimbra.
According to Coimbra, the challenge now is to extend the established model of Rio de Janeiro’s Dry Law Operation to all the capitals and to increase the rigor of the stages that follow the enforcement blitzes. “When a drunk driver kills someone and goes free after a pre-trial hearing, the message to society is that this crime goes unpunished. That needs to change,” he says.
Between January and April 2009, 249 people died and another 4,211 were injured in 4,813 accidents caused by drunk drivers. In the same period in 2023, 51 people lost their lives and another 1,019 were injured in 1,143 accidents. The survey was carried out by Ammetra based on data from the Federal Highway Police (PRF). “Despite the drop, we still have a long way to go. Current data shows that, every day, drunk drivers cause almost 10 traffic accidents on Brazil’s federal highways alone. This number needs to be reduced so that we can effectively have safe traffic for everyone,” says the Traffic Medicine specialist.
Raising awareness
The statistics show how much Prohibition saves lives, but we still have extremely high numbers of tickets for driving under the influence of alcohol and for refusing to take the breathalyzer test. Since the beginning of the year, the PRF has been stepping up enforcement: the number of Dry Law commands grew by 51% in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year.
In the first four months of 2023, 4,621 notices were issued to drivers under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances and another 16,438 to those who refused to take the breathalyzer test. “Anyone who hasn’t been drinking has no reason to refuse to take the test. That’s why the punishment for those who refuse is the same as for those caught using the breathalyzer. It must be made clear that the police can charge a drunk driver even without this test. Testimonial evidence, an assessment of signs of drunkenness (red eyes, signs of aggression, impatience and alcoholic breath) and a finding that cans and bottles have been emptied in the vehicle already count as evidence. The law has been improved to close the gap on this crime,” says the expert.
Feeling of impunity
According to Coimbra, the certainty of not being arrested makes many drivers insist on driving after drinking. A recent example of how far legislation still needs to go occurred in Campo Grande. A doctor who had been convicted of causing the death of a 24-year-old lawyer while drunk in 2017 was arrested again for drunk driving and causing another accident. He was sentenced to 2 years and 7 months in prison for manslaughter, but was serving his sentence in semi-open regime. It was only after he caused another drunk-driving accident that he was remanded in custody.
According to the road safety specialist, the concept of willful misconduct must be applied to drivers who, despite knowing the risks of drunk driving, insist on committing the crime. “The full force of the law must be applied to offenders who cause death and injury by drink-driving because only by removing the feeling of impunity will we be able to save lives in traffic,” he adds.