No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica ranks as one of the world's most dangerous countries for...

Costa Rica ranks as one of the world’s most dangerous countries for drivers

If you feel like you’re putting your life on the line every time you get behind the wheel in Costa Rica, now you’ve got some statistics to back up your anxiety.

In a recent report from Australian fleet management firm Global Positioning Specialists (GPS) that ranked the most dangerous countries for drivers, Costa Rica comes in fourth on the list. Though the country often ranks high near more enviable lists like the Happiness Index, this unwanted designation takes into account Costa Rica’s relatively bad infrastructure, among other negative factors.

The study measured three categories: road conditions, traffic fatalities, and car theft. On a scale of 1 (among the worst in the world) to 7 (among the world’s best), Costa Rica’s road quality scored a 2.8. In road traffic deaths and vehicle theft rates per 100,000 people, the country also ranked poorly.

Costa Rica Traffic
(Infographic courtesy of GPS)

As seen in the infographic above, Costa Rica ranked in the top 20 for all individual categories, with its worst rating coming in road quality.

A spokesman from GPS said methodology for the road quality index came from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 where roads are also ranked by a 1-to-7 scale. In that list, Costa Rica’s roads ranked 119th out of the 141 polled countries.

Lebanon was named the most dangerous country for drivers, while Uruguay and Colombia rounded out the top three ahead of Costa Rica. The United States ranked as the 12th worst country for drivers and was noted for its high vehicular crime rate.

In November, the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) reported the lowest amount of accident-related deaths for any month in the past three years, with 20 registered traffic fatalities.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...

Why Birders Are Flocking to Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado

Costa Rica is a bird-watching paradise, offering an incredible diversity with close to 900 recorded species, including resident and migratory species. One reason for...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Panama Removed from EU High-Risk List, but Tax Haven Status Remains

The film The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama's reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade...

Why I Choose Real Life in Costa Rica Over the AI Hype

When it comes to AI, call me OG. Old school. I sometimes wish I could go back to a time before it existed. Artificial...

Venezuela Accuses El Salvador of Torturing Deported Migrants From U.S.

Sexual abuse, daily beatings, rotten food: The government of Nicolás Maduro on Monday denounced “torture” against Venezuelan migrants sent by the United States to...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica