Brazil law lowers number of drunk drivers

Seven years after it was passed, the Brazilian law on drinking and driving—the Lei Seca—, a survey shows that the frequency with which adults drive after drinking alcohol abusively has declined by 45%. The rate went from 2% in 2007 to 1.1% in 2013.

The impact of the new piece of legislation proved more significant among men, with a fall of 47% (from 4% in 2007 to 2.1% in 2013). The percentage of female drunk drivers remained flat at 0.3%.

In 2012, 44,812 thousand people lost their lives in car accidents. In an attempt to discourage people from drinking before driving, the federal government, also in 2012, passed and tightened up a bill that became known as Lei Seca (literally, Dry Law). It allows the use of testimonies, medical examinations, pictures and footage as proof of drivers' intoxication.

The law further stipulates that whoever is caught  driving while drunk or after having consumed psychoactive substances will have their national dirver's license taken and their vehicle seized. The driver in question is subject to a fine and may be deprived of his/her right to drive for 12 months.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira