High accident rates, with 233 fatal accidents in 2024 and 73 recorded in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
Because of these ongoing risks, BR-251 is often referred to locally as the “rodovia da morte” — “the road of death.”
Reactions, Consequences, and the Road Ahead
Public authorities, including CBMMG, PRF, and PCMG, have initiated full technical analysis procedures to determine the exact causes of the crash. The tragedy has renewed calls for urgent improvements to the highway, including:
Doubling lanes
Establishing wider emergency shoulders
Installing more effective signage
Improving pavement quality
Intensifying vehicle inspection and safety enforcement
A project known as Rota Gerais proposes several upgrades to BR-251, but as of now, it remains under technical evaluation with no confirmed implementation date.
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