The Bahia division of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police (PRF) unveiled on 12 June its operational plan for the peak São João festivities, when millions travel from Salvador to interior towns for week-long celebrations. Operation São João 2026 will run 19–25 June as part of the nationwide Festejos Juninos campaign and, for the first time, will use drone surveillance on the congested BR-324 corridor. Real-time aerial feeds will let officers spot hard-to-catch offences such as driving on the hard shoulder or texting at the wheel and dispatch ground patrols instantly.
![Federal Highway Police to deploy drones in Bahia’s São João holiday road-safety blitz]()
Additionally, foreign technicians or expatriates heading to Bahia for the festivities or to support wind-farm projects can streamline their visa and documentation needs through VisaHQ’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), which offers up-to-date entry guidance, electronic applications and real-time tracking—helping mobility coordinators align immigration paperwork with tight São João travel schedules.
Drone pilots were trained under a new Civil Aviation-approved curriculum to ensure evidence is admissible in court. Historical data show traffic on BR-324 surging 35 % on the return day of the holiday. Last year 792 000 vehicles transited federal highways in Bahia during the week, with 23 fatalities and more than 300 injuries. The PRF hopes the technology will cut accident rates by 20 %. For corporate mobility teams the crackdown matters because Bahia’s interior hosts a growing number of wind-farm and mining projects that rely on self-drive travel. Companies have been advised to reinforce defensive-driving briefings, ensure journey-management plans account for checkpoints and remind expatriates that drone footage will automatically trigger fines for seat-belt or cell-phone violations. The PRF will publish live traffic bulletins via X (@PRF191BA) and WhatsApp channels; travel managers can subscribe to receive push alerts during the operation window.
Additionally, foreign technicians or expatriates heading to Bahia for the festivities or to support wind-farm projects can streamline their visa and documentation needs through VisaHQ’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), which offers up-to-date entry guidance, electronic applications and real-time tracking—helping mobility coordinators align immigration paperwork with tight São João travel schedules.
Drone pilots were trained under a new Civil Aviation-approved curriculum to ensure evidence is admissible in court. Historical data show traffic on BR-324 surging 35 % on the return day of the holiday. Last year 792 000 vehicles transited federal highways in Bahia during the week, with 23 fatalities and more than 300 injuries. The PRF hopes the technology will cut accident rates by 20 %. For corporate mobility teams the crackdown matters because Bahia’s interior hosts a growing number of wind-farm and mining projects that rely on self-drive travel. Companies have been advised to reinforce defensive-driving briefings, ensure journey-management plans account for checkpoints and remind expatriates that drone footage will automatically trigger fines for seat-belt or cell-phone violations. The PRF will publish live traffic bulletins via X (@PRF191BA) and WhatsApp channels; travel managers can subscribe to receive push alerts during the operation window.
