ITTS brings to the UN its experience saving lives in traffic in Brazil

NEW YORK, April 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The ITTS (Instituto de Tecnologias para o Trânsito Seguro – 'Institute for Safe Traffic Technologies') and the Brazilian mission at the UN are convening a congress today at United Nations headquarters in New York, to present to the world the results of a program that has been saving lives on Brazilian highways for the past two years. It is the legal requirement for professional drivers with C, D and E class licenses to take large window toxicological exams when they renew their licenses, which detect the consumption of illegal drugs within an interval of up to 180 days. 

This requirement, instituted by Law 13.103, completed its second anniversary in March. In only the first six months that it was in force, it contributed to a 38% drop in the number of accidents on federal highways, according to the Federal Highway Police.

In addition, it took out of circulation a large number of truck drivers who were drug users. From the law's implementation up until last February, the expectation was that 4.5 million C, D and E class drivers would renew their license. Of this total, 912,000 failed to do so. Another 447,000 requested relegation to A and B class licenses (which do not require the exam), and lost the authorization to drive heavy vehicles.

"This is proof of the success of the initiative. About 30% failed to renew their license, the same percentage of the total number of truck drivers in Brazil who, according to estimates, are drug users. The Brazilian government took off the streets and highways drivers who were using drugs and causing accidents and fatalities," say ITTS President, Márcio Liberbaum.

In addition to reducing accidents and fatalities, the exam requirement has social and public health effects, to the extent that it frees from addiction those people who want to continue working as drivers.

"The people who took part in achieving this success – legislators, jurists, judges, specialists,  members of the office of the Attorney General (MPF – Ministério Público Federal), the Federal Highway Police, the National Department of Transit (DENATRAN – Departamento Nacional de Trânsito) and the Association of Traffic Victims (Associação de Vítimas do Trânsito)- are here at the UN to show the world that large window technology yields impressive results, and should be implemented in other countries.  And why at the UN?  Because it is the global forum for the exchange of positive experiences," notes Liberbaum.

The presence of former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who led the UN's Global Commission on Drug Policy is a highlight of the event.

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Source: Estúdio Folha

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SOURCE ITTS