Tourists with a valid foreign driver's license can legally operate a vehicle in Costa Rica beyond the typical three-month limit, the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) has announced.
It truly is a remarkable feat to create a service that is an objectively worse experience than a trip to the DMV. Congratulations are in order to Costa Rica.
Traffic Police Director Mario Calderón said that he does not believe the reduction in fines will prompt an increase in traffic violations, as they do not represent a significant change.
The death of a motorcyclist last weekend brought Costa Rica's traffic-related death toll to 356 this year, a figure that surpassed the 355 recorded in 2014.
Costa Rica’s health minister called auto accidents a public health priority Monday during the presentation of the country’s new National Health Plan. Health Minister Dr. Fernando Llorca’s words were part of what he said was a more “holistic” approach to public health in Costa Rica.
Crews from the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) had only begun placing on Tuesday plastic lane dividers on Route 32, the main highway between San José and Limón province. By Thursday morning, Traffic Police reported that several of the dividers already were stolen or vandalized.
On Saturday police will start regulating traffic on a stretch of Route 32, which connects San José and the Caribbean province of Limón, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., after having suspended temporary closures on this highway on Friday.
The highest traffic fine – Class A – will increase from ₡293,000 ($553) to ₡306,000 ($578), the Public Works and Transport Ministry's Traffic Department reported. Class A fines include driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with an expired license.
