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Published Thursday, March 19, 2020
More than 2,500
cars seizedfor breaking traffic law By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Traffic Police announced on Wednesday that within the months of January and February, 10,632 license plates and more than 2,500 vehicles have been confiscated, due to drivers breaking traffic laws. The main infractions committed are illegal parking, driving without a license, driving with an expired license and drunk driving, according to the police. Statistics provided by the police reveal that 87% of the seized vehicles are motorcycles and 12% are cars. The rest are other types of vehicles such as bicycles or cargo trucks. According to German Marin, director of the Traffic Police, the number of car confiscations would be higher if there was enough space to keep those vehicles in warehouses. He admitted that because they are lacking space most of the seizures are made on motorcycles. According to the police, the most common infraction is parking. Police pay attention when the vehicle is parked in a corner, in front of the garage of a house or commercial shops, near a hydrant, next to a hospital ramp, in an area with a yellow line or in an area with limited parking hours. Most parking violations happen in public areas where there are no parking meters available.  In early March, the Traffic Police reported having issued 1,339 traffic fines in to drivers for not complying with basic safety measures. According to the police report, most of the infractions were motorcyclists not wearing a helmet, not using a booster or car seat for children, not using a seatbelt or transporting children under the age of 5 by motorcycle. Approximately 178 drivers were sanctioned for the lack of safety devices for children. And 16 drivers were sanctioned for transporting children under 5 by motorcycle. According to the traffic law, children under the age of 5 are not allowed to ride motorcycles because they cannot be properly supported. Police fined 359 people for driving without a seat belt. And fined another 185 drivers for allowing car passengers to travel without using a seat belt. The law states that all occupants in a vehicle must wear a seat belt, said the police in their report. Another safety measure is the use of helmets while driving a motorcycle. The police fined 392 motorcycle drivers for not wearing a helmet or using it incorrectly. Also, the police fined 209 motorcyclists for allowing their passengers to travel without a helmet.  The Traffic Police reported that during January there were 28 deaths in road accidents of which 10 were motorcycle drivers, four drove a car and two drove a bicycle. The remaining 12 were passengers on motorcycles or cars and pedestrians. In the month of January, there were 28 deaths where 17 were between the ages of 21 and 40. According to the police report, the number of deaths is still less than the numbers in December 2019. There were 55 people who lost their lives in road accidents. In the last four months of 2019, from September to December, on average there were 33 car accident related deaths per month, according to the statistics of the Traffic Police. The main causes of the accidents are opposite line invasion, speeding, reckless driving and pedestrian recklessness. Officials called on the entire population, but especially motorcycle drivers, on the need to drive with caution. -------------------------------- What should authorities do to reduce the number of motorcycle-related deaths? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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