The Invisible Danger: How Truck Safety Systems Are Causing Serious Accidents

Remote locking technology, widely adopted in cargo transport in Brazil to curb theft, has become the center of a debate on road safety after a series of serious accidents. Although it allows real-time monitoring and interruption of travel in case of suspected crime, the activation of these devices in moving vehicles has been associated with recent fatalities on federal highways.

According to Conexão Tocantins, preliminary surveys of the sector indicate that at least 17 deaths may be related to the inappropriate use of these security systems. The case with the greatest repercussion occurred on BR-116, in Curitiba, when the blockade of a truck preceded a collision with a van carrying 21 people. The episode exposed critical flaws in the operating protocols of the monitoring and risk management companies.

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The National Union of Storks (Sinaceg), which represents about 5,000 professionals in the transport of zero-kilometer vehicles, recognizes the importance of the tool for the protection of heritage, but warns of the dangers of activating without technical criteria. The entity argues that automatic blocking should be conditioned to a rigorous analysis of the context of the road to avoid sudden and uncontrollable maneuvers.

For José Ronaldo Marques da Silva, president of Sinaceg, the dependence on algorithms and artificial intelligence has generated misinterpretations. Failures in telemetry can interpret a momentary loss of signal or an evasive maneuver as a theft attempt, triggering the mechanical lock. Silva points out that the system is unable to predict the traffic conditions around the truck at the time of the power cut.

Faced with regulatory gaps, the sector is now pleading for the creation of rules that prohibit the total blocking of the vehicle while it is on the move. The objective is to ensure that technology acts as an ally of property security without compromising the physical integrity of drivers and other users of Brazilian highways. Experts reinforce that civil liability for incidents caused by technological failures still lacks clear rules in the national legal system.