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Motorcyclists account for largest percentage of Costa Rica’s road deaths so far this year

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October 6th, 2015 (ICR News) Motorcyclists have accounted for the largest number of deaths on Costa Rica’s roads so far this year, according to data recently released by transit officials.

 

As of September, 303 people have died in road accidents, of which 119 – or almost 40 percent – were motorcyclists.

 

Motorcyclists were followed by those traveling in passenger vehicles, with 98 dead; pedestrians, with 56 dead; and cyclists, with 30 recorded deaths.

 

The director of the Traffic Police, Mario Calderon, reminded motorcyclists of the need to take proper precautions, pointing to more than 3,000 citations that were issued between January and August to motorcyclists for not wearing a helmet or having a helmetless passenger.

 

Calderon also said that “certain behaviors” increase the risk of accidents.

 

Calderon also noted that some 1,400 motorists have been charged with drunk driving so far this year.

 

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  • Yeims

    I live out in the country where there are lots of motorcycles. Most of the riders don’t take the baffles out of the mufflers, but a fair percentage, maybe 10%, do. They believe that running a straight pipe increases the power. It does, but barely — and also causes the motor to wear out much quicker. The muffler provides a back pressure, which means there is a little of the combusted vapor left in the cylinder, and this is good because it pre-heats the gasoline vapor and makes for a more uniform combustion.

    The loud racket wakes us up every night, and it’s really got to be very old. I just now bought a decibel meter, and it shows that IN OUR BEDROOM the noise is sometimes more than 100 Db (anything over 85 Db is harmful to the hearing).

    My point is, maybe it’s not such a bad thing that the more idiot bike riders are dying — natural selection and all that. The police don’t do anything, because they do not have Db meters and therefore charges against the riders with loud bikes won’t stick. They put the baffles back in for Riteve, and then take them right back out.

    Before, Spain was known as the noisiest country in the world, but a Spaniard friend says Costa Rica is now much worse. After being awakened so many times in the wee hours and unable to get back to sleep, I don’t think it is such an extreme thing to see them gone forever.

  • Roberto

    GOOD!!! I call them “organ donors.” The
    Transit police and the Ministerio de Salud are obligated and responsible for
    regulating this noise pollution by motorcycles and the cars that have loud
    speakers on their roofs that drive slowly around town announcing stuff. MOPT has at their disposal ‘Sonometros’ that
    are calibrated at the LACUMED laboratory at the UCR. In 2000 and 2005 laws protecting the citizens
    from excessive noise were passed. Even
    the Defensoria de los Habitantes has received complaints over noise pollution. .
    Why don’t we start seizing bikes from the crazy riders. Keep the bikes for 30
    days then make them read a bike etiquette and safety manual, then pass a small
    test. Give them back their bikes after they pass with 80 percent or better.
    Slowly they might figure it out.

    • Michael C

      Seizing and holding the bikes, and heavily fining the owners, gets my vote “cien por ciento”!

  • Michael C

    Most mc drivers have NO respect for the law, for their personal safety, or for the safety of the people that they “share” the road with! Better that their ranks are reduced!
    The unmuffled bikes are a major annoyance to the rest of civilized society, and an embarrassment for Costa Rica tourism. MOPT should initiate a major enforcement campaign, which would have the additional benefit of a large influx of traffic fines!

    • Roberto

      Currently motorcycles have a decible limit of 98db, but a new law lowers them to 94db for a motor less than 250cc y 96db for a motor above 250cc. The new law takes affect this October 23rd., and the fine is 21.964 colones ($40.00). The Dept. of Emisiones Control is supposted to buy 25 sound level meters for the entire country. So contact your local MOPT/Transito office and see if they are going to enforce the new law. I doubt that it will make any difference.

  • Righty

    As the owner of an 800cc motorcycle I can only say that 99.9% of the motorcycles I’ve seen darting in and out of traffic,lane splitting, no helmets, loud baffle free mufflers, straight pipes, and total disregard of any and all traffic protocol are 250cc or less. In fact, most of them are 100cc or 150cc. Also, on my last inspection at Reteve they did do a decibel check. I passed. Also, I might add that I believe MOST of these small bikes do not have their Marchamo paid and haven’t seen Reteve in years. I, personally, would like to see these machines removed from the roads. I also drive a car.

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