Changes in the Brazilian Traffic Code come into force

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Changes made to the Brazilian Traffic Code come into force today, April 12th. The main change is the extension of the National Driver’s License (CNH) validity period to ten years for drivers up to 50 years old. The changes were sanctioned by President Jair Bolsonaro in October last year when it was defined that the validity period would start 180 days after the sanction.

Physical and mental fitness tests for renewing the CNH will no longer be held every five years. From now on, the validity will be ten years for drivers under 50 years old, five years for drivers aged 50 or more and less than 70, and three years for drivers aged 70 or more.

There will also be changes in the number of points that can lead to a driver’s license suspension.

Currently, a driver who reaches 20 points during a 12-month period can have his license suspended. Now, the suspension will occur in stages. The driver will have his license suspended with 20 points (if he has two or more severe violations on his license), 30 points (one grave violation on the score sheet), 40 points (no serious violation on the score sheet).

The new rules ban drivers convicted of manslaughter or personal injury while under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive substances from having prison sentences converted into alternatives.

The use of car seats in the back seat is now mandatory for children under 10 years of age who have not reached 1.45 meters in height. Under the old rule, only the child’s age was taken into account.

In cases of automakers’ recalls to correct defects in vehicles (recall), the car will only be licensed after proof that the repair campaign has been attended to.

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