‘Barbeiragem’ near hospitals may result in a more expensive fine and longer time in jail

The Traffic and Transport Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that toughens the punishments for those who practice illegal rides — the so-called “rachas” — on public roads. Instead of creating a parallel law, the approved text directly amends the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB), raising the amount of fines and providing for longer imprisonment when the dispute occurs near sensitive places.

The collegiate accepted the substitute of the rapporteur, Deputy Hugo Leal (PSD-RJ), to PL 7.235/2025, authored by Deputy Amom Mandel (Republicanos-AM). The change of course was profound. The original project created a National Program to Prevent and Combat Illegal Racing (PNPCR), with radars, automatic license plate reading cameras, educational campaigns in schools and driving schools, federal funding and even accountability of influencers and sponsors who organized clandestine events.

Leal preserved the merit, but discarded the structure. In the vote, he classified the original proposal as “meritorious”, although with “weaknesses that prevent its approval in its original form”. Its central argument is that creating sanctions outside the CTB would fragment the legal regime of traffic and make inspection difficult. The solution was to insert the rules in the code itself.

What will the new fine look like?

The most concrete point of the substitute is in the driver’s pocket. Articles 173, 174 and 175 of the CTB – which deal with disputes, unauthorized competitions and dangerous maneuvers – today apply the very serious fine multiplied by ten. As the base value of the very serious infraction is R$ 293.47, the current penalty reaches R$ 2,934.70.

The approved text raises this multiplier from ten to fifteen times. In practice, the fine rises to R$ 4,402.05 — an increase of R$ 1,467.35, or 50% more than what is currently charged. The punishment continues to be accompanied by the suspension of the right to drive and the seizure of the vehicle, as already occurs.

In the criminal sphere, the change falls on article 308, which deals with the race as a crime: a new paragraph creates aggravated penalties when the race takes place near schools, hospitals, passenger boarding points, narrow streets or areas with a large circulation of people. In these scenarios, if there is serious bodily injury, imprisonment rises to four to eight years – today, the penalty is three to six. In case of death, the punishment can reach twelve years in prison.

The author’s justification treated the problem as a “serious threat to road safety” and cited an accident in the West Zone of Manaus to defend a structured response. For Mandel, “simple criminalization is not enough” — he defended prevention, technology and road engineering. The rapporteur, in turn, bet precisely on penal reinforcement, arguing that fines and longer imprisonments expand the educational and punitive effect of the rule.

The accountability of event organizers and financiers also continues to apply. The text still needs to go through the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Commission, in a conclusive manner, and then be approved by the Chamber and Senate to become law.