Is It Safe to Drive in South America? What the Data Says

This is the question that stops more trips than any mechanical problem. And it is almost always answered with opinion: someone who went says it is easy, someone who never went says it is crazy. It is possible to answer it better than that, by looking at what governments publish and what the numbers show.

This article compares the eight countries on the classic overlander route using official data, points out where the fear is justified and where it is not, and covers the risk that most articles leave out entirely.

In short: Seven of the eight countries on the overlander route have a lower homicide rate than Brazil. Argentina, Chile and Paraguay sit between a third and a quarter of the Brazilian rate. The only South American country with an active travel alert from Itamaraty (Brazil's foreign ministry) is Bolivia, and the current alert is about fuel shortages and road blockades, not violence. In six of the nine countries compared, traffic kills more people than homicide. The biggest risk for anyone traveling by car is an accident, not crime.

What the Brazilian government says today

Itamaraty keeps a list of active travel alerts. In South America, as of September 2026, there is only one: Bolivia. And the alert, from July 2026, is not about violence: it reports that the highway blockades have ended, but that fuel supply problems persist.

On its country guidance pages, the Consular Portal rates them like this:

• Argentina and Uruguay: normal safety precautions
• Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador: moderate degree of caution
• Bolivia: avoid non-essential travel

One inconsistency is worth noting: the Bolivia page shows no update date and contradicts the most recent alert, which already reports that the roads are back to normal. Before you leave, check both.

A second source helps calibrate. The United States Department of State rates Argentina and Paraguay at Level 1, the lowest, the same as Switzerland and Austria. Brazil is at Level 2. In practice, for the US government, these two neighbors are safer than the country Brazilian travelers are leaving from.

Homicide numbers, country by country

UNODC data compiled by the World Bank, for 2023, in homicides per 100,000 people:

• Bolivia: 4.4
• Argentina: 4.5
• Chile: 6.4
• Paraguay: 6.8
• Peru: 8.6 (2021 data, the most recent available)
• Uruguay: 11.3
• Brazil: 19.3
• Colombia: 24.9
• Ecuador: 45.7

InSight Crime's 2025 roundup, published in March 2026, confirms the ranking and brings fresher numbers: Argentina 3.7, Chile 5.4, Paraguay 6.1, Uruguay 10.3, Peru 10.7, Brazil 19.2, Colombia 25.8 and Ecuador 50.9.

Two honest caveats. The Bolivian figure is of questionable quality, because Bolivia's official data measures "crimes against life" and is not directly comparable. And the homicide rate measures the resident population, not the risk to a foreign traveler passing through.

Even so, the conclusion is hard to get around: a Brazilian crossing the border into Argentina, Chile or Paraguay is, statistically, heading to a place with fewer homicides than the one they left.

The risk that kills more and almost nobody mentions

While everyone argues about robberies, the figure that should dominate the conversation is a different one. Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, 2021 reference year:

• Ecuador: 23.4
• Paraguay: 21.0
• Bolivia: 17.6
• Colombia: 16.2
• Brazil: 15.7
• Uruguay: 13.0
• Peru: 12.7
• Chile: 10.3
• Argentina: 8.8

Crossing the two data series, keeping in mind that the years are not the same, in six of the nine countries traffic kills more people than homicide. In Bolivia the gap is about four times, in Paraguay more than three, in Argentina more than two.

Time of day matters. In Argentina, the official 2024 report on fatal road crashes recorded 3,894 victims, with 52% of fatal crashes happening at night, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., and 54% on highways. Since nighttime traffic is much lighter than daytime traffic, the risk per kilometer driven in the dark is much higher than that percentage suggests.

On road conditions, governments are blunt. Itamaraty says most Colombian highways are narrow, without shoulders and poorly maintained. The British government notes that in Bolivia most roads are unpaved and that broken-down vehicles with no warning signs are a frequent hazard at night, and that in Peru fatal accidents are common and night travel should be avoided in mountainous areas.

None of this takes courage, it takes planning and brakes in good shape. Before you leave, the vehicle maintenance checklist solves much of what turns into a problem in the middle of nowhere.

Where the fear is justified

Ecuador is the most serious case on the list, with 50.9 homicides per 100,000 in 2025, a historic record. Guayaquil and the province of Esmeraldas carry the strictest restrictions.

Colombia is at Level 3 in the US ratings. Itamaraty names Norte de Santander and Nariño and recommends avoiding remote regions and rural areas, as well as carefully weighing any road stretch at night.

Peru has a specific hot spot: the VRAEM region and the borders with Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia. The State Department reports road blockades set up by criminal groups outside Lima.

And there is a surprise in the opposite direction. Uruguay, which Brazilians treat as the calmest place on the continent, has between 10 and 11 homicides per 100,000, almost double Chile and almost triple Argentina. It is still far below Brazil, but it is not the crime-free country of popular imagination.

Where the fear is not justified

Paraguay is the number one search for "is it dangerous to drive" among Brazilians, and it is Level 1 in the US ratings, with a homicide rate of about a third of Brazil's. The real risk is geographic and narrow: Pedro Juan Caballero, Salto del Guairá and the shopping district of Ciudad del Este, where the most common problem is consumer fraud.

Argentina has the lowest homicide rate on the list and no region off-limits according to Itamaraty. The one named caveat is Rosario.

The scams that actually exist

These are documented, not forum rumors.

Flat tire with help that shows up. The Argentine embassy in Chile warns that this is the most common type of theft against tourists: they puncture the tire, often at a traffic light, and while someone "helps", someone else takes what is inside. The official advice is not to accept help from strangers with a flat tire.

Car parked at a gas station or viewpoint. The British government specifically names gas stations and viewpoints as the places where cars get broken into in Chile. In Argentina, theft from unattended vehicles is described as common, especially in Bariloche.

Police bribes. They exist, and they can be measured. The AmericasBarometer survey from 2018 and 2019 measured the percentage of people asked for a bribe by a police officer in the previous twelve months: Bolivia 28%, Peru 16%, Paraguay 15%, Ecuador 11%, Argentina 10%, Colombia 9.5%, Brazil 7%, Chile 2% and Uruguay 2%. The data is old, but the order of magnitude is useful: anyone afraid of being shaken down in Argentina is afraid of something that happens there at almost the same rate as back home.

Bolivia is a special case, and not because of violence

Bolivia has the lowest homicide rate on the list. Its problem for anyone entering by car is something else, and it is serious.

Entry requires a sworn declaration issued exclusively by Bolivia's National Customs, at the border, free of charge, recorded in the SIVETUR system. The Brazilian Consulate General in Santa Cruz de la Sierra published an alert describing a scheme on the route from Puerto Suárez to Santa Cruz: drivers are told they do not need the document, or that they can just pay at the police checkpoints along the way. The consulate states plainly that this information is false.

The consequence is also in writing: driving with foreign plates without Customs authorization results in seizure and immediate auction of the vehicle, with no compensation, and the consulate cannot prevent it. The authorization is valid for a maximum of 90 days, and 20 days after it expires, confiscation is provided for in the regulations.

Add to that the fact that fuel for foreign plates costs more than double the local price, that the digital Brazilian driver's license (CNH) is not accepted and that Bolivia does not offer free medical care to foreigners, not even after an accident.

Insurance, documents and what the consulate does

The Carta Verde is the mandatory Mercosur insurance and is valid in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. It covers damage to third parties, not your car, not you and not your passengers. Chile does not accept the Carta Verde: it requires local insurance for foreign vehicles. Bolivia is still implementing it, and the consulate advises buying a specific policy valid in its territory.

If the worst happens, it is good to know the consulate's limits. It issues travel documents, gives guidance, visits detainees and helps in cases of proven destitution. It does not pay medical or legal expenses, does not file insurance claims, does not recover vehicles and does not issue driver's licenses. In practice, a stolen car follows this order: local police report first, because without it the insurance will not pay and the car cannot legally leave the country; then the insurer; then the consular duty line.

The rest of the paperwork is in the checklist of documents to cross borders by car, which covers what each country asks for.

What actually reduces risk

Only what is backed by official sources, not guesswork.

• Do not drive at night. It is the recommendation that appears in the most sources and the one with the most data behind it.
• Stop every four hours or 150 kilometers, following guidance from the Brazilian road safety observatory.
• Leave the car in a private parking lot instead of "in the care" of someone on the street.
• Nothing visible inside the car, ever.
• Windows up and doors locked when driving in big cities.
• Flat tire: change it yourself or call a tow truck, without accepting unsolicited help.
• If someone tries to take the car, hand it over. Chilean authorities advise raising your hands and getting out of the vehicle.
• Never try to get through a road blockade.
• Handle every procedure at the border post, on the spot, and be suspicious of any charge where the procedure is free.
• Always tell someone the last place you were and your next destination.

When it comes to planning the route, GT Overlander helps organize the days so that nobody has to drive in the dark to finish a leg: you describe the trip in plain language and the app spreads the stops along the way.

As for where to sleep, the analysis of overnighting at gas stations goes into detail. One warning applies here: a gas station is not a safe zone by nature. What protects you is activity, light and people nearby.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to drive in South America? For most of the classic route, yes, with normal road precautions. Seven of the eight countries have a lower homicide rate than Brazil, and the only one with an active Itamaraty alert is Bolivia, because of fuel and blockades, not violence.

What is the safest country in South America to drive in? By homicide numbers, Argentina and Chile come out on top, followed by Paraguay. Argentina and Paraguay are at the lowest US government alert level, the same as Switzerland.

Is it dangerous to drive at night? It is the main avoidable risk factor. In Argentina, 52% of fatal crashes in 2024 happened at night, with much less traffic than during the day.

Do you need a Carta Verde to drive in Argentina? Yes. The Carta Verde is required for Brazilian vehicles entering Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Chile does not accept it and requires its own insurance.

Do police ask for bribes in these countries? It happens, at very different rates by country. In the 2018 and 2019 survey, Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay were well above Brazil, while Chile and Uruguay were close to zero.

What do I do if my car is stolen abroad? A police report with the local police first, because without it the insurance will not pay and the vehicle cannot legally leave the country. Then the insurer, then the consular duty line. The consulate does not pay expenses or recover the car.

Can I sleep at a gas station in Argentina or Chile? There are no official statistics comparing overnight stays at gas stations, campgrounds and on the street. What is known is that gas stations appear in official alerts as places where vehicles are broken into in Chile. Activity, lighting and cameras matter more than the type of place.

Miscalibrated fear costs you the trip

What the data shows is not that South America is harmless. It is that Brazilian fear is miscalibrated in both directions: it overreacts to Paraguay and Argentina, which are among the safest countries in the region, and underestimates traffic, which is what actually kills the most people on the road. Adjusting that gauge is what separates those who plan well from those who give up before leaving or go unprepared.