The rules for motorcycle taxi drivers begin to apply

Under protests of the category, begin to apply on Saturday the new rules for motorcycle taxi drivers to practice in Brazil.

Those who do not comply with them may be fined and the bike seized for regularization. However, it will be up to the states to decide whether the assessments will also be made from today.

The most controversial item of the new rules is the requirement for a training course for motorcycle taxi drivers. Classes must be given by an institution authorized by Veterans and may be paid or free - at the discretion of the state and municipalities.

The National Association of Veterans last Thursday asked the National Traffic Department to postpone the inspection with fines because of the "high cost of courses", "high course of equipment required", "reduced number of qualified instructors" and "reduced number of institutions qualified for the courses".

For the same reasons, the union that represents the category in the state of São Paulo organized a protest on Friday that traveled several parts of the city, causing slow traffic.

The Veterans suggest that supervision begin educationally and cover compulsory safety equipment from June onwards and that from September only the course is charged.

The 2009 federal law, which was regulated the following year, should have come into force in August last year but was delayed precisely because of the lack of places to teach. Without this course and the use of a series of safety equipment, these professionals will, according to the law, commit a serious infraction.

In practice, it is up to the states to define when the assessments begin to be made. In São Paulo, the inspection is scheduled to begin this Saturday, by the Military Police. In Rio de Janeiro, there won't be many in the first 4 months, reports Detran. This is because courses only began to be given in the state this week, in two points only.

With 50 class hours, 5 of them of practice, the mandatory course for those who make deliveries or transport passengers on motorbikes is taught by bodies that are authorized by Detran. It can be free or paid: the decision is from the states and municipalities. Part of the workload can be fulfilled at a distance.

In the state of Sao Paulo, Detran says that about 21,000 professionals took the course. The union of the category estimates that this number is larger, of 36 thousand, only in São Paulo. But it is still much lower than the 500,000 motoboys and motorcycle taxi drivers in the state, with 200,000 in the capital, according to Sindimoto.

In São Paulo, the Traffic Engineering Company (CET) offers the course free of charge and says it offers the bike even for practical classes. The Detran-SP also authorized 17 schools and 21 stations of the Social Transport Service to teach. In these cases, the course is charged and, according to the department, there is no fixed fee. Adtran-SP says that, the average cost is $ 160 and that last year offered 20,000 free courses.

In Rio de Janeiro, Detran says it will offer free courses with 60 places per class. In Paraná, the courses are offered by Driver Training Centers (CFC) authorized by Detran and cost, on average, $ 300 and $ 400, according to the local union.

The SP union also complains that most cities have not yet regulated the profession of motorcycle taxi drivers. And that in the capital, where this already happens, the bureaucracy delays who wants to be up to date with the law. According to the organization, 36 thousand professionals have already taken the course, but only 15 thousand have obtained the approval of the city.

t is up to the municipalities to authorize or not this type of activity on-site and how it will happen. In São Paulo, for example, the motorcycle taxi service is not allowed. The motorcycle is regulated in 14 cities in the state, according to Detran.

In addition to taking the course, the motoboys will have to use safety equipment on the bikes. The helmet, mandatory by law, must be accompanied by leg protection, an antenna that cuts lines, vest with reflective stripes and reflective stripes on the motorcycle. In the case of motoboys, it is necessary to use a box (chest) with reflective stripes and identification.

For orthopedist Marcelo Rosa de Rezende, from the Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, the requirement for this equipment is "a start" for reducing the number of accidents. "They can avoid minor trauma," he says. Most of the trauma of motorcyclists treated at the hospital, according to him, are in the legs, which have more contact with cars.

In HC-SP, 44% of patients treated at Orthopedics are motorcyclists, says the doctor, but it is not possible to determine if those who work with motorcycles predominate.

A survey by the HC Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology in 2009 with motorcycle accident patients found that only 25% of users learned to drive in a school; 32% said they were self-taught and the others said they were taught by relatives or friends.

Knowing defensive driving is the main way, in Rezende's opinion, to combat more serious trauma. The doctor is also a biker. "I've been riding a motorcycle for 30 years, I've never had an accident," he says. "That's why I believe in defensive driving, in the well-informed, well-informed motorcyclist. I do not advocate motorcycle use if there is more exposure, but knowing this, I protect myself more."

For Rezende, the government should review the cases where the course is paid because a motorcycle accident can cost governments much more expensive. "An inpatient here at Orthopedics costs, on average, $ 40,000. He usually spends 18 days here, which is a very high average. There are several surgeries, often several days of ICU. The cost, in the end, is much bigger than offering a free course for everyone, "says the doctor.