The following table is provides an overview of the Costa Rica Driving Laws 2021. The driving laws are enforced to all citizens, those with residency and visitors and travelers. When visiting Costa Rica, or renting a car here, please be aware that there are enforced driving rules.
| Driving Violation | Penalty Fine in Costa Rica Colones NOTE: 1US$ = ~600 CRC |
| Not wearing a seat belt | ¢ 110.729 |
| Talking on a cell phone while driving | ¢ 110.729 |
| Transporting children under 12 years old that are less than 1.45 meters tall without using special safety devices (child seats) | ¢ 221.458 |
| Parking next a yellow line/no parking area | ¢ 54.805 |
| Overtaking or passing a vehicle in a curve, over double lines, railroad crossings or bridges | ¢ 327.713 |
| Motorcycles and mopeds overtaking in the middle of the rows of vehicles at a speed higher than 25 km/h | ¢ 110,729 |
| Motorcycles or ATVs/’quads’ carrying children under 5 years old | ¢ 221.458 |
| To the cyclist that circulates on a highway with a speed superior to 80 km/h | ¢ 54.805 |
| Disrespecting exclusive lanes | ¢ 54.805 |
| Disrespecting crosswalks | ¢ 54.805 |
| Driving with excess passengers, according to the maximum capacity of the vehicle | ¢ 110.729 |
| Drunk driving above 0.75 grams of alcohol per liter of blood NOTE: in addition, a judge can sentence you to a prison term of between 1 and 3 years. Confiscation of vehicle and driver’s license suspension for 2 years. | ¢ 327.713 |
| Drunk driving between 0.5 and 0.74 grams of alcohol per liter of blood | ¢ 327.713 |
| Driving a vehicle without a fire extinguisher, two triangles or a safety reflective vest | ¢ 23.488 |
| Driving without carrying the vehicle documents | ¢ 54.805 |
| Driving without a license for the vehicle you are driving | ¢ 54.805 |
| Who, with a foreign license, circulates for more than three months, without obtaining the national license | ¢ 54.805 |
| Offering public transportation without authorization | ¢ 110.729 |
| Driving with an expired license | ¢ 327.713 |
| Driving with a suspended license (and the vehicle is withdrawn from circulation) | ¢ 327.713 |
| Avoid paying toll | ¢ 23.488 |
| Misusing the horn | ¢ 23.488 |
| Throwing garbage from a vehicle/littering | ¢ 23.488 |
| Using loudspeakers without permission | ¢ 23.488 |
| Driving a vehicle on a beach | ¢ 54.805 |
| Damaged headlights or blinkers. | ¢ 23.488 |
| Driving a vehicle that doesn’t have Marchamo | ¢ 54.805 |
| Not wearing a safety helmet (those on a bicycle or a motorcycle) | ¢ 110.729 |
| Driving a motorcycle or a bicycle without a reflective vest | ¢ 54.805 |
| Driving without using headlights between the hours of 6 pm and 6 am. | ¢ 110.729 |
| Using rotating beacons without permission | ¢ 54.805 |
| Tailgating/not keeping enough distance between the vehicle in front of you | ¢ 23.488 |
| Make an U-turn where not allowed | ¢ 327.713 |
| Driving with 20 km/h or more exceeding the speed limit | ¢ 54.805 |
| Driving 40 km/h (~24 mph) or more over the posted speed limit | ¢ 221.458 |
| Driving 25 km/h (15 mph) or more over the speed limit in a school zone | ¢ 110.729 |
| Driving faster than 120 km/h (anywhere). 120kmh = 72 mph | ¢ 327.713 |
| Driving through, ignoring or not stopping at a red light or at a stop sign | ¢ 221.458 |
| Passing on the right side of a road, when there are two existing directions of traffic. | ¢ 221.458 |
| Purposely driving below the speed limit the goal of causing congested roads. (tortuguismo) | ¢ 110,729 |
| Driving without a driver’s license (and the vehicle is impounded) | ¢ 110.729 |