Accidents cost twice as much as the country invests in highways, says research

Problems on Brazilian highways, caused by deficiencies in signage, paving and layout, increase transport operational costs by 32.7%, according to calculations by the National Transport Confederation (CNT).

The impacts are felt directly and indirectly by the Brazilian economy, since 65% of Brazilian cargo is handled by highways and 95% of passengers travel.

The CNT estimates that last year alone R$13.4 billion was spent as a result of accidents. It is double what was applied to road infrastructure works by the public sector.

“Logistics is hampered by highways that are saturated and in urgent need of modernization,” says Bruno Batista, the entity’s executive director.

The CNT’s estimate is that with fuel alone, in 2023, there will be an unnecessary consumption of 1.1 billion liters of diesel oil due to the poor quality of the Brazilian road network. According to the survey, 67.5% of paved roads have some type of problem, being classified as regular, bad or terrible.

The additional fuel expenditure will cost transporters R$7.49 billion, estimates the confederation. With this amount it would be possible to invest in the purchase of 6,567 trucks powered by biomethane or 2,498 buses with fuel cells, powered by renewable hydrogen.

The transport sector is considered the largest energy consumer in Brazil, responsible for more than a third (35%) of the total, according to data from the National Energy Balance, from the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Roads under public management presented deficiencies in 77.1% of their length. There are 65.8 thousand kilometers with a situation classified as fair, bad or very bad. Meanwhile, 64.1% of highways granted to the private sector, or 16.4 thousand kilometers, are in adequate condition (good or excellent).