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Published Monday, March 15, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Despite the ban-on-driving rule enforced by the government since April 2020, to avoid an increase in covid-19 infections, the Traffic Police reported a record of fines for speeding.
According to the police, from January to February this year, an outstanding 1,588 drivers were fined. This is equivalent to 1,103 more drivers than the same period of 2020, when the ban-on-driving rule had not yet been established.
Last year, 45 people died in accidents linked to speeding, according to police statistics.
These alarming figures make the Traffic Police officers anticipate a very complicated Holy Week. The week-long break could increase these speeding faults due to people wanting to go on vacation and return faster to their homes, the police said in their statement.
For speeding, the fine is approximately $540, plus the 6-point penalty in the driving record score. However, if the driver exceeds the maximum speed level of 150 kilometers per hour, this fault becomes a criminal offense, for which the driver is arrested and taken before a judge. So far this year, one driver was arrested for committing this offense, according to the police.
The Traffic Police reported a record of 35 people killed in road accidents last month. February 2021 was the month with the most deaths related to car crashes in the last five years.
According to police statistics, in the same month in 2020, there were 31 deaths, 30 in 2019, 28 in 2018 and 32 in 2017.
So far this year, 71 deaths have been linked to a car accident, the police said.
People can report any case of speeding by dialing the 911 emergency line.
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What are the speeding laws in your country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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