News for expats in Costa Rica about driving here

Costa Rica’s traffic police (tráficos) report that they issue about 1500 tickets (partes) year for the incorrect use of headlights.

Expats and tourists should be familiar with Traffic Law Article 103 which states the following:

1. It is against the law to drive between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. without using headlights.
2. High beams can only be used when there are no vehicles coming in the opposite direction. The glare may temporarily blind drivers in oncoming cars and cause an accident or even a fatality.
3. Low beams are to be used when driving on the street especially when there are oncoming automobiles or when driving behind another vehicle.
4. Fog lights (luces de neblina) are only to be used when there is poor visibility andweather premitting.
5. Lights whose brightness exceedes the established legal limits, may never be used under any circumstances.
6. Motor bikes and motorcycles must have their headlights on 24-hours a day.

Good news! Having a drivers licence with you may not be necessary in the future. A congress women (diputada) is proposing a change in Traffica Law Article 51 whereby those drivers who have a valid license will not have have it with them as long as  a traffic policeman can find the license another way. For example, by consulting a data base. This law may never go into effect. However, expats and tourists using a foreign license may not be able to take advantage of this proposed law since their information may not yet be in the data base.