Distrito Federal sees high driver's license suspensions due to drunk driving

Drunk driving is the leading cause of driver's license suspensions in the Distrito Federal in 2026. According to data from Detran-DF, more than 4,100 drivers are facing administrative processes for alcohol-related infractions, representing 81.6% of the 5,094 total drivers facing suspensions of two to 12 months.

In total, 17,204 suspensions for various reasons have been published this year. The primary cause is violations of the 'Lei Seca' (Dry Law), involving either driving after consuming alcohol or refusing to take the breathalyzer test. In 2025, 8,955 suspension penalties were applied for similar reasons.

Rodrigo Freitas Xavier, manager of Control and Registration of Penalties at Detran-DF, stated that affected drivers will receive notifications at their registered addresses. Upon receipt, drivers have 30 days to file an appeal with the Administrative Board of Infraction Appeals (JARI). Xavier attributed the high number of publications to increased staff effort and the implementation of modern systems that assist in identifying infractions and processing cases.