Reckless driving continues on an upswing in Costa Rica. As of May 1st, about 22,500 drivers were fined for breaking the Traffic Law.

Of these, more than 12,000 drivers were fined for incorrect parking. The most common types of illegal parking are being over five meters or closer to the ramps for people with disabilities, being within five meters of hydrants, being in corners, being in an area where there is a parking prohibition sign, blocking the entrance to garages, being over the sidewalks and blocking the exit of emergency vehicles such as firefighters and ambulances, among others. They should pay a $115 penalty.

Also, over 6,700 drivers were fined for not wearing seat belts or not enforcing passengers to wear their seat belts. The violation is classified as "B-Level" with a fine of about $225. In addition, the driver received a 4-point penalty on their driver's license record.

During the same period, more than 4,600 DUI tests were applied by Traffic Police.  Of these, police identified over 850 positive DUI with more than 0.75 grams of alcohol in their systems. These drivers committed the "A-Level" fine, meaning they were arrested and their vehicles were impounded. Drivers also have to pay a fine of approximately $670, plus take a penalty of 6 points on their driving record.

When a driver is penalized on their driving record, they are forced to retake the driving course and score a minimum of 70 points out of 100 to renew their driver's license.

Speeding is another issue for police. There have been over 1,960 drivers fined for driving over 80 miles per hour is about $670 in addition to the 6-point penalty on the driver's license.  

Police issued more than 940 fines to drivers who failed to stop at a red light. The drivers earned a fine of about $450 plus a four-point penalty on their license records. 

Recently, police reported more than 200 deaths in traffic accidents. Of the total deaths, 52% were motorcyclists.

Last year closed with more than 480 deaths in traffic accidents. Police statistics show 215 more deaths were registered compared to the 365 fatalities in 2021, which is an increase of 59%.

Police call on drivers to respect the law and take precautionary measures to avoid accidents. People can report any case of reckless driving to the 911 emergency line.

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