Costa Rica Networking

In case of emergency call 911 from any telephone!

Driving in Costa Rica

How is the driving in Costa Rica? There is no problem driving a car in Costa Rica, however, there are a few things you should know.

One, for most North American visitors, drivers in Costa Rica seem to drive like "crazy". Two, there are many rules of the road, some are inforced, many aren't. Three, those rules that are enforced come with a price, which is different for the locals and visitors. And, last, street signs are not always available and when there are, most of the time they are of no use.

But, before you decide against driving in Costa Rica, let us explain.

There have been cars in Costa Rica for decades, but it is only in the last ten or so years that Costa Ricans have been driving en masse. And the number of vehicles on the roads in the last five years has more than doubled. However, the roads, infrastructure and laws have not kept pace.

Many drivers in Costa Rica do not understand the rules of the road, many have either gotten their licesne when testing was not common and/or have purchased their license from corrupt officials without offering any type of proof of driving.

Add to that that driving schools are not common and those that offer driving professional driving instructions are not licensed or monitored, thus, many of the bad driving habits have been handed down from one bad driver to the next generation.

Some even fault the increased number of women drivers on the road. But, statistics show that women drivers are involved in less accidents than male drivers, especially in the under 30 age group.

Driving in Costa Rica can be summed up in a few words, lack of respect and courtesy. But, this is quite normal in Latin America. Anyone who has driven in Mexico or Colombia or any other Latin country can attest to this fact.

So, if you do decide to drive in Costa Rica, here are some very important points to consider and keep in mind.

Drinking and Driving
On December 23, 2008, the new Ley de Tránsito (traffic laws) went into effect to curb the rise in drinking and driving and road fatalities.

Any driver found to be have a blood alcohol contect over the legal limit of 0.75 is deemed impaired and will be detained and brought before the local "criminal" court and face sanctions that can include a jail term of up three years, loss of a driver's license and the confiscation of the vehicle.

Reckless Driving.
Driving over 150 Km per hour is considered Reckless Driving and is subject to same sanctions of drunk driving. Although, it is very difficult to find a road worthy to drive at that speed, but in any case, slow down.

Using A Seatbelt
The use of seat restraints is mandatory in Costa Rica. As of September 23, 2009, children 12 of age and under must ride in the back seat only and be restrained by a child car or booster seat.

Talking on a Cellular Phone
Driving and talking on a cellular phone is prohibited. The Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) issue between 75 and 100 tickets daily to drivers talking on a cellular phone. The use of a hands free is allowed.

Fines
Currently fines for traffic violations run between ¢5.000 and ¢20.000 colones. As of September 23, 2009, fines, in most cases increase 10 to 20 times their current. A ¢10.000 colones fine for driving while talking on a cellular phone will increase to ¢170.000 colones, for example.

Rush Hour
Yes, Virginia, there is a rush hour in Costa Rica. Although rush hours occur mainly in San José, there are times, like holidays and long weekends, rush hour occurs in the major highways leading to and from the beaches and mountains.

Typically rush hour in San José is between 6am and 8am and 4:30pm to 7pm, weekdays. During the peak times traffic can back up, the routes congested to the point where a normal 15 minute ride can take 45 minutes or more.

Add to the "crazy" driving habits of Costa Rica and the situation can be a total nightmare. If you need to drive during rush hour, arm yourself with patience and tune into a good radio station.

Driving At Night
Driving at any time in Costa Rica can be a pain, but worse at night, where poor illumintation, lack of road markings, potholes and lack of signs warning of the dangers ahead, like a curve or exit, can all end up in disaster for the non experience driver.

Best if you can avoid driving at night. But, if you insist, take it slow and keep an eye open for merging lanes, bridges that often narrow to one lane, storm ditches, potholes, uneven road, etc.

Accidents
Accidents can occur at anytime and to anyone. In Costa Rica they seem to occur a bit more frequent, though the majority are nothing more than fender benders, that can tie up traffic for hours.

The reason is simple, DO NOT MOVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL A TRANSITO SHOWS UP. Traffic laws in Costa Rica require that the vehicles stay in their place until told to be moved by a Tránsito official, which can take up to an hour or more to show up, depending on the location of the accident and the time of day or night. As you can imagine this simple rule can block an entire intersection or highway, adding to the traffic congestion. Worse during rush hours.

Once the Tránsito is on the scene, have your vehicle's registration (if a rented vehicle, the rental contract) and your driver's license. The role of the Tránsito official is to take the information of the drivers, the accident, fill out the ticket and report and nothing more.

Tránsito officials are not the judge and jury and are not concerned on who caused the accident and the why, simply in reporting the details of the incident for the "Tribunales" - court .

Telling the Tránsito your side of the story is useless. What is important, however, is that the information being recorded, like the location of the vehicles, etc. on the traffic report is accurate. And a good idea to have witness name and phone numbers in the event of a court action.

For visitors, once the report has been completed, the traffic officials gives you the go ahead to leave the scene, it is pretty much the end of the ordeal. What comes next is having to deal with the rental vehicle company.

For those who live or own the vehicle in Costa Rica, it is important to do two things: file a statement with the traffic court in the jurisdiction of the accident and then file a report with the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), if the vehicle is insured. And in that order.

If the vehicle is insured, a call to the INS for an inspector to visit the scene of the accident is recommended, however, in any case a visit to the nearest INS office within 5 working days is required.