Lack of respect and common sense in traffic in Rio

Sometimes, there just isn't anyone in the right.

My boss told me about something he saw on Sunday, on Avenida das Américas, a busy road with 4x3 lanes.  A motorcyclist ran a light that had just turned red, hitting the side of a car that had just started going on a green light, with the impact likely at around 60-70km.

The lady that got hit?  Did a U-turn to look, then drove off.

My boss, who was in front of the car that got hit?  Stopped to look, didn't get out (excuse: had small kids in the car that he couldn't leave alone), eventually drove off since he felt unable to help.

Other traffic?  Simply drove around the accident at the highest speeds possible, nobody stopping to help or even to check if the motorcyclist was alive.

Pedestrians?  Stared.

Nobody actually did anything.  No idea if an ambulance or the police were actually called.  The lady whose car was it left her bumper with license plate at the accident, so she would be easy to find - if the police could be bothered to follow up these sorts of cases.

OK, this specific case seems like attempted suicide by motorcycle, but that doesn't justify that nobody stopped to help or do anything.  Really, here in Rio nobody has any respect for anyone else in traffic.  Just the other day I nearly got hit passing an intersection at a green light because a driver felt like doing an illegal left turn into oncoming traffic.  Yesterday I got nervous waiting at a red light because cars, buses, and vans were passing me at 70km/h - they apparently feel lights are for Christmas trees, but at that speed, if someone had clipped my mirror I could have been tossed into traffic from the opposite lane.

The insanity is general - once on a bus I was stuck in traffic for half an hour, because a bus had run a red light to cross the main artery through the city centre, but couldn't fully cross because of traffic - and so ended up blocking the road for nearly the full half hour. 3 fire engines and several ambulances, all with the emergency lights and alarms on, were stuck as long as I was.

There's just no respect for anyone's safety in traffic here.  What can be done?

Just another day on the road in Rio de Janeiro