QCOSTARICA – In January 2022 alone, the Policia de Transito (traffic police) issued 509 tickets to drivers “carrying out an activity other than driving” while driving the vehicle, the most common is the use of the cell phone, without the hands-free device.
Nothing changed, other than the cost of the fine, for in January the fine increased 102%. The fine now is ¢113,000 (about US$180 dollars at the current exchange rate).
According to authorities, this behavior, and doing anything else while driving, is considered very dangerous because it distracts the attention of the person behind the wheel.
“We must understand that there are many factors and variables a play on the roads, while we drive. There are pedestrians, other vehicles, pets, obstacles, potholes, so the least a person should do when driving is to concentrate on that (driving); Carrying a pet on your lap and paying attention to your cell phone, your tablet, a book, the drawing your child made, are distractions that create danger on the road for those who drive as well as for those other road actors,” explained German Marín, Director of the Policia de Transito.
The ban on the use of a cellular phone while driving is not just for conversation or texting, but also for drivers using their phones to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists or play games while driving.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), using a cellphone while driving increases crash risk. The IIHS, an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization in the U.S. say that researchers have consistently linked texting or otherwise manipulating a cellphone to increased risk. Some studies, but not all, have found that talking on a cellphone also increases crash risk.
