RICO’s Q — Think back to your last daily drive—when was the last time you spotted a traffic officer, known locally as tránsitos or tráficos? And the time before that? I could keep going, but the truth is, there just aren’t enough tránsitos to keep up with the growing number of drivers on the road these days.
As of early 2026, Costa Rica has approximately 683 tránsitos—way fewer than I’d guessed while driving recently. That’s about half the size of the roughly 1,200 tránsitos they had a decade ago, back when there were far fewer drivers on the roads.
That means there are usually only around 105 to 170 officers on duty at any moment, as they work in shifts, covering the country’s roughly 32,000 kilometers of road—8,000 of which are main roads.
Recent reports, including one from CRHoy.com, say the country needs at least 600 more tránsitos to effectively manage road safety and congestion. For a closer look at the staffing shortage, an article from La Nación questions whether the current force is enough.
The San José metropolitan area has the highest concentration with 219 tránsitos, while some rural regions like Pacific Central have as few as 60.
The shortage (roughly one tránsito for every 2,845 registered vehicles) makes the roads feel more chaotic and unsafe nowadays.
To address this deficit, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) is in the process of hiring. According to Teletica, the government has historically struggled to maintain staffing levels, but there are plans to add roughly 100 new agents in 2025/2026 to help fill vacancies left by retirements.
So, there is really no plan to add the urgently needed number of tránsitos to make the roads safe again, with actions like the capacity to monitor that volume of cars.
Rather than adding more physical officers on the roads, the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (COSEVI)—the traffic directorate of the MOPT—has been promoting the implementation of video surveillance.
However, several constitutional rulings have prevented the direct sanctioning of license plates, significantly complicating their application. The last time that was tried was back in 2011 when fixed traffic speed cameras (fotorradares) were operational on major roads such as the Autopista General Cañas (San José-Alajuela) and Florencio del Castillo (Cartago), and others. My reports on that fiasco can still be found on my former publication.
Traffic speed cameras currently exist in Costa Rica. They are mobile units set up temporarily at selected locations managed by a team of tránsitos. They’re definitely real—but good luck spotting one.
With limited police patrols on the roads, poorly enforced traffic laws, inadequate infrastructure, speeding vehicles weaving through traffic, reckless overtaking on narrow roads, and a general disregard for traffic signals and pedestrian rights, accidents are common, and emergency response can be slow.
While the presence of tránsitos on the roads is sporadic and corruption allegations have sometimes undermined public trust, many drivers feel emboldened to ignore speed limits and safety regulations, turning the roads into more of a free-for-all than a regulated system.