January 22: The new Brazilian Traffic Code comes into force, stating that "safe traffic is a right to all and a duty of the bodies and entities of the National Transit System."
February
February 22: A part of the Condominium Palace II collapses in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro; destroying 44 apartments and leaving eight buried.
March
March 24: President Fernando Henrique Cardoso signs the Pelé Law with 17 vetoes. This forces professional sports clubs to observe business law and pay tax within two years.
November 28: Ten former military police officers, accused of participating in the 1993 Vigário Geral massacre, are acquitted by the Rio de Janeiro court.