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Road Rules and Traffic Regulations in Brazil - Driving Nuances
1. The total length of roads in Brazil is 1.6 million square kilometers. This is the record number for Latin American countries. The best and most comfortable roads are located in the coastal zone, as well as in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
2. In some parts of Brazil, there are mostly dirt and gravel roads, so it is possible to drive on them using a crossroad car only. The Amazon region remains the most complicated. During the rainy season, local dirt roads look simply terrible.
3. The rainy season lasts from November to March. This is the time when drivers are not recommended to make rides to that area of the country. Instead of dirt roads, powerful mudslides appear in the Amazon region. The mudslides are so big that they can cover a whole car. Regardless of the season, traveling to this part of the country alone is not recommended.
4. Tourists, who still dare to make this dangerous journey, are recommended to purchase “Guia 4 Rodas” guidebook that is available in almost every kiosk. In addition to the detailed road map, the guidebook contains a lot of useful information for motorists, including the current state of the roads.
5. A trip to the Amazon will be an unforgettable adventure for thrill-seekers. In addition to the mud flow, drivers will surely have to face many interesting and unexpected obstacles and surprises. For example, along some trails you will see huge crocodiles and some other representatives of the local fauna that usually watch amusingly how cars try to get out of the mud.
6. Slippery dirt roads are often interrupted by deep ditches. Local motorists have found the best way to overcome such obstacles - they put a couple of rather narrow planks across the ditch and then easily drive on them without any shade of doubts or worries. Foreign drivers can only envy skilled local drivers - one awkward move can cost them their lives.
Nuances of Car Rental in Brazil
To save on your rental, we advise to book your car in advance. You will save the most if you do this several weeks or even several months prior to your trip. Rental offices in Brazil usually raise rental prices over time, based on the number of cars left available for the accounting period.
When looking for an exotic car (cabriolet, minivan or limousine), we advise to check in the rental offices located at airports, as they usually provide much wider choice comparing to offices in urban areas.
Upon receipt of invoices, bills and documents for your car at the rental location, please compare the obtained data with your voucher. Quite often, employees of rental offices in Brazil try to add optional charges or services without informing customers.
It is very important to pick up your car at the rental office in Brazil in a correct way. Prior to leaving the office, carefully inspect the car for various defects, and ensure that all the discovered defects are mentioned in your rental documents. In case of a non-compliance found, place a demand for correction to the rental officer.
You can always check our car actual rental offers in Brazil. Simply use the search form at the top of the page. We guarantee that you will not find better prices anywhere else!
8. Do not forget to take into consideration the specific behavior of local motorists, who are not distinguished by strict following of the traffic regulations. Ever hurrying Brazilian motorists break the rules literally every minute. It is possible to get into a serious traffic jam even late at night.
9. The most common traffic violations in the country are speeding and passing a red signal. Quite often you can see other drivers moving to the opposite lane and making very sharp and sudden maneuvers.
10. You should be prepared to some extreme situations, for example, a car moving behind can easily shorten the distance to a couple of centimeters. This does not mean that car wants to overtake or show some sign. The answer is simple – for local drivers it is absolutely normal to keep a minimum distance.
11. We should also not forget to mention that it is quite dangerous to drive in Brazil at night. A significant part of the country’s population lives below the poverty line, so at night roads usually attract numerous robbers. For security reasons, local drivers keep the windows closed at night. They also block the car’s doors, never stop the car without any particular need, and can even pass a red light.
12. Leaving the car in the car park, you should also not forget about some basic safety precautions. Do not leave any items in the car. Thieves can break the glass even if they see an empty bag on the front seat.
13. If in cities robbers have become a serious threat to drivers, in the country drivers should try to escape from animals. For animals, unpaved roads are no different from all other places, so herds of animals can walk on them leisurely, not paying any attention to honking cars.
14. For pedestrians crossing a road is always a big risk. Local motorists almost never stop before crossroads, even if a few dozen people wait for it impatiently. Disciplined foreign drivers often cause road accidents because they suddenly (for local drivers) and without any warning stop at pedestrian crossings or traffic lights.
16. Cars that move with their right headlight flashing should be treated with particular attention. This signal indicates that the driver is planning to park at the right side of the road. If the left headlight is turned on, this means that the driver is in a hurry and intends to increase the speed.
17. If the car moving in the opposite direction uses flashing headlights, this means that there is danger ahead. The term “danger” in this case can mean literally anything - a police patrol, a radar, or an animal on the road.
18. In large cities roads are almost always very loaded. You can get in a traffic jam here at any time of day. In smaller towns the situation is the opposite - the country roads are relatively free and are distinguished by quite a good quality.
19. Bicycle remains a popular type of transport in smaller towns. Drivers of the two-wheeled transport have to ride on the same roads with car drivers.
20. There are special lanes for cyclists in Recife, Rio de Janeiro and some other coastal cities. These lanes make the situation on the roads somewhat better. In Brazil, there are even special communities for cyclists. The most famous among them is Sampa Bikers.
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