Gestão do trânsito e transporte na Amazônia Legal e o processo de integração municipal ao Sistema Nacional de Trânsito (SNT)

Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines traffic safety and transport governance in Brazil’s Legal Amazon, a region marked by the predominance of individual motorized modes —especially motorcycles — and persistently high traffic-related morbidity and mortality rates (21.1 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), placing it among the most critical areas in the country. This context highlights the need to deepen the debate on public policies for traffic safety and transport management, particularly regarding the integration of towns into the National Traffic System (SNT), a core pillar of Brazil’s National Traffic Policy. The study aims to understand traffic and transport dynamics in the Legal Amazon, the process of integration of towns into the SNT, and its impacts on the population. The methodology combined secondary data analysis, questionnaires, field research, and interviews with representatives of state and town traffic agencies, with data examined through statistical and cartographic procedures. The results show that traffic municipalization in the Legal Amazon has progressed slowly and unevenly, with only 30% of towns integrated into the SNT by 2023. This process, in turn, is predominantly carried out in more populous towns with larger vehicle fleets, while smaller towns do not perform formal traffic management. Regarding morbidity and mortality, both integrated and non-integrated towns show high rates, confirming that traffic insecurity is a widespread regional issue; However, the data also demonstrated that towns in the interior present higher rates than state capitals. The impacts of integration into the SNT vary, proving relatively more positive in capitals and in towns with greater institutional capacity, although still below expected outcomes. The study concludes that, despite being a strategic instrument for local traffic governance, SNT integration faces significant institutional weaknesses that limit its effectiveness in improving traffic safety and circulation.