Roadside Deaths On the Rise

During the first seven months of this year, 518 Costa Ricans were hit and killed by cars on the country’s roads, marking 63 more of these deaths than during the same period last year, according to the daily Al Día.

Additionally, 922 people were taken to hospitals in delicate conditions from January to July.

Red Cross Assistant Director of Operations Jorge Rovira told the daily these numbers are “worrisome.”

“Even with all the prevention campaigns, people think ‘this doesn’t have to do with me’,” Rovira said. “On the streets, people play with life as if it were Russian roulette.”

Carelessness, speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are among the leading causes of deadly road accidents, the daily reported.