Discovering Costa Rica

Page 27

For the following causes your car will be detained:

Crash or accident with injured or dead people. Considerable damages to property

Driving without the respective plates

Driving under the influence of alcohol

Driving without the lights stipulated by law

Speeding over 120 kph (75 mph) or 40 kph (25 mph) over the limit permitted

Helpful Hint:

If you receive a traffic ticket because you have violated transit law, the

ticket has to be cancelled only at a state bank agency, or you can present it at the

counter of the car rental company.

If you need to report any situation involving police officers, call 2255-3562 or 2222-9245.

All drivers must have in their cars:

Fire extinguisher (chemical power)

Two safety triangles

Reflective vest

Spare tire in good condition

Motorcycles and bicycles:

Cyclists must ride with helmets and reflective vests

Traffic Offenses (Traffic Tickets)

The responsibility for traffic enforcement falls upon the traffic police. Traffic officers will always

drive vehicles or motorcycles fully identified either with the MOPT (Ministerio de Obras Publicas

y Transportes) or COSEVI (Consejo de Seguridad Vial). It is important to carefully review the

transit laws to learn about the fines. Your Dwellworks Consultant can help with providing this.

Roads

Roads in Costa Rica vary greatly across the country. Most of the larger cities’ roads are paved

and better taken care of, in addition to larger highways with easy access to different areas of the

country. The farther out from a larger city you go, the less likely you are to find well-paved

roads. Be aware that in the rainy season, heavy rains can easily wipe out roads and bridges and

cause a great deal of damage.

Highways

Route 2 is a large highway that runs south from San José, and into Panama

Route 10 runs east from San José towards the ocean, and connects with 32 to Limon

Highways 1, 4, 27, and 35, travel north to south from San José to various locations on

the western boarder of Nicaragua