On Motorcyclist Day, Detran celebrates reduction in accidents and increase in helmet use

Next Sunday, the 27th, is celebrated as National Motorcyclist Day, a date established by law in 2024 to honor those who make motorcycles a means of livelihood or daily transportation. The same law also created National Motorcycle Accident Prevention Week, reinforcing the necessary care for this category of drivers who, although extremely vulnerable in traffic, are also essential to the dynamics of cities.

In Pará, according to data from the State Department of Traffic (Detran), the motorcycle fleet reached 1,247,714 vehicles in April of this year, a number that reflects a true change in behavior in urban mobility. And even with this constant growth, the number of accidents involving motorcyclists has been decreasing year after year.

In 2021, 16,955 motorcycles/mopeds were involved in accidents in Pará. In 2024, this number dropped to 16,369 records. There was also a decrease in occurrences with injured people: there were 12,861 victims in 2023, compared to 12,201 last year.

Detran emphasizes that to better understand who the motorcyclists in Pará are, it is necessary to pay attention to two very distinct profiles: professional and non-professional. Motorcycle taxi drivers, app delivery workers, delivery motorcyclists, and various services make up the front line of professional motorcyclists.

"These are undoubtedly the ones who ride the most, face more risks, and expose themselves more to the adversities of traffic. Generally, they work with tight deadlines, earn by delivery or ride, and often travel during peak hours," explains the technical-operational director of the State Department of Traffic (Detran), Bento Gouveia.

On the other hand, non-professional motorcyclists are those who use the motorcycle as an alternative to public transport. They are workers who, with great effort, managed to finance or buy a motorcycle to commute to and from work. In general, they take better care of the vehicle, ride more cautiously, and are less frequently involved in accidents.

They are parents, young students, workers from various fields who found in two wheels a faster, more economical, and independent way to move around.

The numbers and the work of Detran

Detran of Pará has been actively working to reduce accidents. Through educational campaigns, training courses, and intensified inspections, the agency works to raise awareness among drivers and save lives.

"The non-use of helmets and the excess of passengers on motorcycles still lead the risk factors that we observe the most in our approaches. But the good news is that these behaviors are decreasing in cities with a greater presence of inspections. Our challenge is to reach more strongly in municipalities where there is still no structured municipal inspection," explains Gouveia.

In response to the growing demand for motorcycles, more than 28,000 residents of Pará obtained category A licenses just in 2024, and more than a thousand already licensed drivers requested the addition of the motorcycle category to their CNH. This demand reinforces the economic role of motorcycles in the current context.

Educate, inspect, and care

Since 2019, Detran has trained 4,700 motorcycle taxi drivers and delivery motorcyclists in training and updating courses, reinforcing themes such as road safety, legislation, and quality in passenger service.

In addition, technology has become an ally in protecting motorcyclists. The video monitoring system implemented on state highways has been helping to curb violations such as the lack of helmet use, which has significantly decreased since the implementation of automatic fines.

In places where cameras are installed, Detran's data shows that helmet use has become more frequent. On the PA-412, which connects BR-316 to the municipality of Vigia, in January of this year, nearly 20,000 violations were recorded for not wearing a helmet. By last June, three months after the implementation of video monitoring, the record dropped to 4,272 fines, a reduction of 78.47%.

On the PA-391, the Belém/Mosqueiro, Detran's video monitoring system was implemented earlier, between 2023 and 2024. Since then, the number of motorcyclists wearing helmets on the highway has increased by approximately 67%. In June 2023, before the system was implemented, 3,097 motorcyclists were fined on PA-391; a year later, in June 2024, with video monitoring in operation, there were only 1,023 records.

"On this date, our message is one of respect, recognition, and care for all those who ride on two wheels. To the professionals, our commitment to more training, appreciation, and safety. To the non-professionals, our appeal for prudence and respect for the laws. And to society as a whole, the reminder that every motorcyclist is also a father, mother, child, worker, and deserves to return home safely at the end of the day," concludes the director.