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   - Photo via Ministry of Public Transport -
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Published on Monday, February 6,
2023
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The beginning of a new school year has Traffic Police out in full force protecting students with their road surveillance program.
Today about 1.2 million students from public and private schools and high schools go back to school.
According to the Ministry of Public Transport, the program aims to protect children on their way to school, whether they're traveling by car, school bus or public transportation.
Police remind drivers that the Traffic Law mandates a maximum speed of 25 km/h on roads near schools. Officers will be monitoring with their speed cameras.
They’ll also be writing tickets to those who park next to any yellow line on sidewalks or near a hydrant or near the corner of the sidewalk or blocking a garage among others.
Police will stop drivers traveling with an excess of passengers or cargo in their vehicles.
In the case of students traveling by school or public bus, officers will monitor the driver to park right at the bus stop and wait until all students have boarded or on-boarded. Drivers who park in other zones, on the street, or who do not have the bus completely stopped for students' proper entrance or exit will be fined.
Officers may stop any driver to request documents such as a driver's license, ID or license to transport students. If the documents are not in order, the driver will be fined, the vehicle will be seized and the students will not be able to continue their way to school on that bus.
Police are ready to fine drivers carrying children under 12 years of age without the safety devices such as carrycot or booster seats based on their weight and size.
The penalty for not using safety devices is one of the most expensive ones established by the Traffic Law, about $345 plus a penalty of four points reduced on their driving record.
All children under the age of 12, and smaller than 145 centimeters, must use a booster seat appropriate for their weight and size, according to the law.
All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear-facing for 2 years or more.
Children, specifically toddlers and preschoolers, who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their convertible seat should use a forward-facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.
All school-aged children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between the ages of 8 to 12.
Children old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for their best protection. All children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
Police also warn riders that transporting children under 5 years of age by motorcycle, is against the law. The fine is $371, plus a penalty of 4 points on the qualification note of the driver's license.
Police call on drivers to respect the law and take precautionary measures to avoid accidents, especially when transporting children. People can report any case of a child carried out in a vehicle without a safety device to the 911 emergency line.
Last year closed with more than 16,900 DUI tests applied by Traffic Police. Of these, police identified over 2,550 positive DUI with more than 0.75 grams of alcohol in their systems, according to the Ministry of Public Transports.
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