Influencer led a crossing to expose quagmires in the region, but ended up barred for circulating with an off-road utility vehicle on a federal highway
Biologist and digital influencer Richard Rasmussen had his UTV vehicle seized by the Federal Highway Police (PRF) last Saturday night (21), in the municipality of Careiro da Várzea (AM). The approach took place on a stretch of BR-319, a few kilometers from boarding the ferry bound for the capital Manaus.
Rasmussen led the “Trans-Amazonian Expedition” alongside fitness influencer Renato Cariani. The group traveled about 1,500 kilometers over seven days, facing mud and severe quagmires on BR-230 and BR-319. The objective of the day was to document and give national visibility to the logistical isolation and precarious infrastructure conditions faced by the population that depends on those highways.
The retention of the vehicle was motivated by rules of the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB): UTVs are classified as off-road utilities, developed strictly for use on trails, rough terrain and rural properties. Because they do not have the safety items required for road approval, the legislation prohibits the continuous circulation of these models on open federal highways and urban roads.
The moment of the fine was broadcast live on Rasmussen’s social networks. Although he formally acknowledged that the agents were complying with the law, the biologist complained about what he called “partial work” by the authorities. He argued that, on the same highway, it is customary for local residents to travel on motorcycles without helmets or in irregular vehicles without being approached. “It is necessary to carry out comprehensive inspection, not just punctual”, he charged.
For the influencer, the episode did not overshadow the purpose of the trip to show that road neglect punishes the inhabitants of the region. “The Amazon is not only made of trees and animals, but of people,” he said. After the incident, Rasmussen considered the public debate successfully fostered and anticipated that he plans a new incursion into the forest in two months.
