Traffic Police officers began issuing fines Wednesday to motorists not carrying the mandatory vehicle insurance sticker, or marchamo. Police issued 105 citations during the first day of 2014 alone, and by noon on Thursday 225 people had been fined.
Surveillance operations are set up on both national and cantonal routes according to Traffic Police Director German Marín. Vehicles spotted without a 2014 sticker will be fined ₡47,000 ($94) and have their license plates confiscated.
As of Dec. 30, nearly 75 percent of car owners had paid their insurance, according to a report by the National Insurance Institute (INS). The deadline to pay marchamo is Dec. 31.
Motorcycle owners are more reluctant to pay. INS officials reported that 83,000 of the 196,000 motorcycle owners had failed to pay by Dec. 30, 40 percent of the total.
The INS report also indicates that 23 percent of buses and 29 percent of taxis have not paid their marchamos.
