  The ban-on-driving rule will be in force for the rest of the month. - Ministry of Transports photo - |
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 Published Wednesday, December 2, 2020 Driver
surveillance plan begins
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Traffic Police announced the beginning of the Christmas and New Year Eve surveillance plan in the face of the possible increase in risky behaviors by drivers during the holiday season. The plan includes 4,700 surveillance operations at strategic points to detect speeding, drunk driving, drivers taking children under five years old on a motorcycle, and other violations. Among the main routes to be monitored are from the city to the beach or countryside, which becomes the most traffic roads during the holidays. Among these are the Inter-American Highway which crosses the country from the border with Panama to the border with Nicaragua, Route 32 from San José Province to Limón Province, Route 27 from San José Province to Puntarenas. 654 traffic officers, 190 patrols, 36 cranes, 196 motorized officers, 14 posts with gas measuring equipment, among others, are set to monitor the streets, police said. However, take into account that the ban-on-driving rule will be in force for the rest of the month.  On weekdays, the ban on driving rules continues from Monday through Friday, where driving is allowed from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. The vehicles banned are based on the last number of the vehicle plate number, as follows: • Monday: plates banned end in 1 or 2. • Tuesday: plates banned end in 3 or 4. • Wednesday: plates banned end in 5 or 6. • Thursday: plates banned end in 7 or 8. • Friday: plates banned end in 9 or 0. On weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, regardless of the plate number, all vehicles will be able to travel from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. nationwide. Readers can verify the car plate number restrictions by visiting the government website Covid-19/Alerta/Vehicular. Concerning the penalties for breaking the ban-on-driving rule, the deputies in Congress approved a reduction of the fines to approximately $180. The approved bill prohibits traffic officials from seizing vehicle plates or even vehicles, in addition to no longer reducing penalty points on the driving license of the driver. The safe roads plan complements the Safe December strategy developed by the Ministry of Security.  Last week, the government announced the campaign with the intention of protecting the people of Costa Rica against robberies during the holidays celebrated in December and January. The security strategy is set to run from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4. Among the measures taken, authorities will increase their forces by 400 police officers. They will also purchase more equipment, such as motorcycles, two-way personal radios and personal watercraft jet skis; all these were valued at approximately $2,467,853, the Ministry of Security said in its statement. According to the ministry, police officers will be monitoring crowded areas during the holidays, such as boulevards, banks, ATMs, shopping centers, airports, tourist places, among others. Officials of the National Coast Guard Service will be monitoring the expected crowded beaches. Airport Police officers will be focused on maintaining security and crime prevention in the three main airports in the country, Juan Santamaría in Alajuela, Daniel Oduber in Guanacaste and Tobías Bolaños in San José. Officers of the Air Surveillance Service will carry out aerial patrols and ambulance flights, focusing especially on tourist hotspots. Border Police officers will focus on monitoring areas with the highest influx of tourism and shops in the border areas. ------------------------------ What advice would you give to avoid traffic accidents during the holidays? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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