Brazil Opens Consultation on Optional Driving Schools as Autoescolas Warn of Fallout

Overview

• The Ministry of Transport released a draft now in public consultation through November 2 that would end mandatory attendance at driving schools while keeping theoretical and practical exams.
• The proposal creates a credential for independent instructors authorized by state Detrans, with identifiable teaching vehicles that meet CTB safety rules, and a free Senatran training course for instructor qualification.
• Government advocates say the change could cut the average cost of a first license by up to 80% from roughly R$3,200 and help regularize about 20 million unlicensed drivers.
• Autoescola owners report frozen new enrollments and warn of severe revenue losses, as Feneauto projects a R$14 billion annual hit and 300,000 jobs at risk.
• Feneauto plans to press Congress and pursue a court challenge over rulemaking authority, while safety advocates cite Abramet data that about 90% of crashes involve human error to argue for structured training.