The Brazilian rules of driving

In Curitiba, Claire and I learnt about all the rules of driving that Brazilians don't follow. When we arrived we stayed with a girl called Bruna, who drove us around all day. First we went to the Botanical Gardens, then to lunch, then to her Mum's work, her Dad's work, the downtown, and finally to their apartment. After offloading our bags at the apartment Bruna took us down to a local bakery get some pão de queijo (pronounced 'pow jee keh-zhoo'), a cheesy tapioca bread and local delicacy.

While we were driving, Claire asked Bruna what was wrong with the seatbelts in the back. Bruna looked confused as she swerved sharply to avoid a truck.

"There's nothing wrong with them" She said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean", said Claire, "They're missing".

"I know", replied Bruna, while simultaneously pulling out in front of a car without indicating. "What's the problem?"

"My mum would kill me if she knew I wasn't wearing a seatbelt right now", I said. (She really would have).

Bruna was genuinely puzzled by this. "Why?"

"Because", I said, "It's dangerous". I'd never really had to explain the merits of seatbelts before. "And it's illegal not to wear seatbelts in New Zealand".

"Oh yes, it's illegal here too," Bruna said, "But nobody cares. And nobody wears them in the back!"

After thinking about this for a while she starting laughing at the idea of anyone voluntarily wearing seatbelts. "Why would you want to wear a seatbelt?" she asked. "They're so stupid!"

"They save your life?" said Claire.

"If you don't have seatbelts in your car, you're not allowed to drive it", I told her. "It's wrong".

Bruna suddenly became serious.

"Okay", she said, "I have to explain you girls something. Here in Brazil, we don't tell you whether your car is right or wrong. You just drive it". She smiled. "Okay?"

This seemed to end the debate because Bruna turned back to the road. "Is talking on a cellphone wrong too, when you drive in New Zealand?" she asked.

"Yes", I replied, eyeing the cellphone in her hand. "It's illegal. Because too many people crash when they talk on them".

"Oh yes. Here too." Bruna nodded sagely as she dialled a number and lifted the phone to her ear. "It's a big problem".

Nicola