Driving in Costa Rica

From Wiki Costa Rica

General Tips for drivers

Seatbelts are mandatory, as well as child/baby carseats.
It's illegal to carry passengers in the trunk of a pickup truck.
Always lock all your doors and close your windows when driving at night or after parking your car. It's a good practice to do the same when driving downtown.
Do not leave any visible valuable object in the car seats, leave them in the trunk.
If you get a flat tire, always drive to the nearest gas station or public place. It's preferable not to attempt to change tires on the roadside (if it's in the central valley). Some robberies occur during these situations.
Be careful when driving in rural areas and crossing bridges. Many bridges do not have barriers, so slow down when crossing.
In general, try not to speed. Not because of traffic tickets, but because of potholes. Just ask any Costa Rican and you'll confirm it.
In populated areas, especially downtown San José, beware of pedestrians. Many tend to try to cross a street without looking both ways. This goes both ways: Pedestrians have to cross with extreme care because they DO NOT have priority on the street or road. Many local drivers ignore the road signs, stoplights and other traffic signs.
Costa Rican drivers are very impatient. Expect to hear a lot of honks downtown.
Local drivers will NOT make a full stop (or even stop at all) in a Stop sign if they do not see any cars crossing an intersections, so pedestrians beware.

Tips for driving in the highway

Besides the highways General Canas and the ones to Escazú and Cartago, the rest of the highways are really just 2 or 3 lane roads: one each way and one for ascent. The majority of roads will be just one lane each way, which is a problem if you are behind a slow trailer or bus. Every year many drivers have fatal accidents while trying to speed past these slow vehicles. If you want to speed past one, you need to be sure that there are no curves ahead, no cars coming towards you and no cars behind you trying to speed past you at the exact moment you want to speed.

Many roads do not have a shoulder to stop, and even many do no have any kind of barriers, so stay clear of the edges if you can.

[edit]