Ever to stop to think why we don’t see that many traffic cops (Transitos) on the road? One of the most likely reason is mechanical problems with a large number of the Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) vehicular fleet.
That is the complaint by many Transitos who are forced to work with units in poor condition and report that it takes a long time to fix them. This goes along with the fact at the Transito does not count with its own mechanic and repair shops.
The unavailability of units, abandoned and with mechanical problems hinders the world of the traffic police force. And those that are working, many are in a bad state of repair.
The Dirección de Tránsito (Directorate of Traffic) says everything will be very different soon, with the purchase of 165 late model vehicles, that will be on the roads in a short time.
The Directorate also indicated that a mechanic’s shop located in La Uruca has been awarded the tender for the repair of the damaged units. In addition, a new ‘Transito’ campus will be opening in Zapote, giving officials better working conditions.
All this is very troubling given that the country is in the middle of an epidemic when it comes to road deaths, 2017 closing as the worst year on record with 457 fatalities, slightly more than in 2016 and double of several years ago.
The rising number of road fatalities can be attributed to a weak police force, a force that doesn’t have the number of officials to properly patrol the roads across the country, a government that is financially strapped to provide the financial resources for the added manpower and the to give the few officials the proper tools, ie working patrol units.
Driving in Costa Rica has always been a nightmare. Worse now with figuratively no traffic cops on the job – a police body with less than 1,000 officials to cover the entire country.
