The quality of roads in Brazil: The interrelation of its multiple stressors and their impact on society

Abstract

The road transport in Brazil has evolved in a disorderly way, so today the modal is placed as the main articulator of the economic circuit of goods distribution and passenger transport, representing 61.1% and 48.16%, respectively of the total transported. This condition represents a limiting factor in terms of national competitiveness. The purpose of this article is to study the variables related to the quality of roads in Brazil, the interrelation of its multiple stressors and their impact on society. The act of driving is a task of monitoring and multiple occupational stressors for professional drivers. The diversity of these worries has direct implications on the work conditions, also affecting health and the security of the system – system fails, or the called “human error”. The cognitive overload required in national roads, due to the diversity of incognitos caused by the lack of structure and conservation, significantly contributes to the occurrence of accidents. Old trucks, poorly maintained highways, desperate drivers and the lack of supervision are the ingredients of a chaotic situation. Although only 12.0% of the national highways are paved, a significant portion of this amount (Federal, Transit State, State and Municipal highways) presents serious problems of quality and safety. The accidents registered only in 2016, on the federal highways audited, resulted in a cost of US $ 3.02 billion for the country. The poor quality of the roads burdens the cost of operation and compromise the safety and health of society as a whole.