-Published: Thursday, December 19, 2019-
No plate number restriction in San José during the holidays, say police
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Traffic Police announced there will not be a restriction of plate numbers in San José during the holidays from Monday to Jan. 3.
A drivers with any license plate number is free to drive on any weekday in the city during this period. This is because, during the holidays at the end of the year the traffic decreases when students and the public institution employees are in vacations, said police, adding that those reasons is not necessary to maintain the rule of plate number restriction in the downtown
Although there will be no restriction, say police, officers will be alert to arrest any driver who violates the traffic law as speeding drunk driving or drug driving.
In addition, the police report that there will be an increased number of officers on traffic duty and that they will patrol the highways to the coasts and the countryside to monitor drivers going on vacation.
According to Germán Marín, director of the Traffic Police, although there are more police officers on the routes to the beaches and the countryside that does not mean that surveillance in the cities will decrease.
Because the officers will not have to monitor license plate restrictions, there will be sufficient officers to cite infractions “such as improper parking, reckless driving, speeding or drunk driving. These behaviors are very common on holidays," Marín said.
The Traffic Police report that the holiday operations will include an increase in the presence of officers at the horse parade, known as the Tope, the San José Carnival and the Popular Festival of Zapote.
"We are going to keep police in the capital, but we know that most people will be in rural areas and there is where we must also patrol," said Marin.
Wednesday, the Road Safety Council confirmed that the offices of the institution will be closed from this Friday to Jan. 6 due to holiday vacations.
Anyone who does not act by Friday needs to make any claim or procedure related to a vehicle, license, plates or fines when the institutions open again in January.
"If your vehicle or plates or license is seized during the holidays, you must wait until Monday, Jan. 6, to make the claim or request a refund," said the council in its statement.
No type of procedure such as a claim on infractions, fines or complaints will be taken care of because the offices are closed for vacations.
According to the council the people who are sanctioned, for example, on Friday will be without a vehicle, without a license or without plates until Jan. 7.
The Traffic Department report shows one of the most frequently sanctioned behaviors is illegal parking. During 2019, more than 30,000 fines were issued for that infraction.
The Traffic Law states that when a vehicle is confiscated, the driver must pay the fine plus the cost of custody of the vehicle. This means the driver must pay a fine for each day that the car is in custody. The daily fine is about $6.70.
For example, a person whose vehicle is seized Friday would have to pay the custody fine for until Jan. 6, that is 17 days. This is equal to an extra payment of about $113 just for custody expenses.
The fines will not expire for seven years so, a driver who has been sanctioned for breaking the law must pay the fine, the cost of custody of the vehicle, any old fines that have not yet expired, plus the corresponding interest.
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Should council open offices during holidays? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com.
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