“DRIVING ME CRAZY”
Bad driving in Costa Rica is world renown. The Economist rated Costa Rica as the 12th worst place to drive in the World. Not bad considering there are roughly 195 countries around the Globe. But how bad is it? Arcelio Hernandez wrote a book about the Costa Rican driving culture and according to him we have some work to do. Make sure to read up before your next road trip. Check out Don’t Ask for the interview...
Let’s cut right to the chase. What’s the deal with the driving in Costa Rica? It’s almost as if no one knows the rules of the road. Just last week I had to explain to my taxi driver, “a professional”, what a flashing red light means. Pedestrians walk the streets as if they are dodging a horse and carriage, not two-ton motor vehicles made in South Korea. And the transportation infrastructure is as orderly as a Rolling Stones Concert.
Motor vehicles have drastically changed the landscape and the way of life for most people in every corner of the world. Very few realize how different life was just one century ago when we didn’t have the modern car or the roads that have been built to accommodate it. Understandably, some cultures have experienced a more rapid development in road safety aspects such as legislation, education and infrastructure, often linked to economic and other social considerations. This rapid development has come on so quickly that some cultures are unable to readily prepare themselves for the trials and tribulations of car ownership. Not surprisingly, Costa Rica is an example of just such a culture.
The first recorded death from a traffic accident took place in New York in 1899, when Henry H. Bliss was hit by a passing motor vehicle. Here in Costa Rica, a man by the name of Constantino Bernsconi brought the first traffic signs from Guatemala in 1958. THE TAKE readers will appreciate the fact that we are talking about recent history when it comes to the modern concepts of road safety and traffic laws in Costa Rica.
When is Costa Rica going to get it together? It’s killed or be killed out there. Great name for a James Bond film but hardly a setting I would expect in a tourist destination.
If you have driven a car in Costa Rica you have probably noticed that road safety is a topic that has not been taken seriously enough by policy makers in Costa Rica. At most you will hear sporadic public statements from politicians when there is a big accident in which lives are lost. And although a few have had a genuine concern for public safety, there has been no political willingness to make necessary, long lasting changes in road safety policy. The costs in human life and economic resources are immense, but few in power have addressed the problem properly.
So why do you seem the one Costa Rican who cares, or knows, anything about this? Are there any politicians planning to hop on this band wagon of one?
There is very little technical literature on the topic of road safety in Costa Rica. This motivated me to write a book, which the University of Costa Rica has recently published. Its title, Hacia Una Nueva Cultura de Seguridad Vial, would translate to something like “Towards a New Road of Safety Culture”. Although I have handled traffic cases in court, mine is actually more of an academic inclination towards this field. Like many people coming back to Costa Rica after a long absence, I’ve experienced the shock of the real danger crossing a road here means and have taken to the task of contributing to make a difference for my children.
The task of creating public awareness regarding the importance of road safety education and enforcement of traffic laws is an ambitious one, and one that usually meets immediate resistance by those in power, who are more interested in different topics which are more likely to win them votes come election time.
Sounds hopeless…when can we expect a change?
Even if the very ambitious task of creating a certain level of public awareness were achieved, there would remain a long process of educating future drivers as well as changing the habits of the current users of public roads. It will probably take an entire generation to see any significant long-lasting results, and that is if those of us who insist that changes are necessary have some degree of success in creating public awareness, and achieve policy change in this country. In the meantime, Costa Rican drivers will continue to place more value on their daily schedule and even on material property, than on the lives of their neighbours. To those of us not accustomed to having cars come within inches of your body, as an incentive to walk faster while crossing the street, the task may seem immense, and at times disheartening.
The other day I was flipped off waiting for a light to change. What’s happening to the amiable, friendly Costa Rican we all know and love? It’s a far cry from the “Wave to the tourists” promotions of yesteryear.
We Ticos continue to suffer a radical transformation when we find ourselves behind the wheel. We’ll go from a very passive and peaceful state of mind, to an aggressive “get-out-of-my-way” frame of mind in a second.
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to visit Toronto, and I remember the interesting experience of crossing a street there, as drivers actually make a stop and don’t rush you as you make your way across. Of course, there is a very different infrastructure in Toronto, and a Tico might even think he is in a totally different planet when visiting that beautiful city in Canada. But it ought to serve as an example of how road safety education combined with a good infrastructure can work to create a more pleasant and safer urban life for people.
I have seen better urban planning in Lego Land. The roads have the width of a matchbox car and the sidewalk space for a dwarf. Why can’t Costa Rica follow the examples of cities like Toronto? Perhaps that’s aiming a bit too high. How about L.A.?
Unfortunately, here in Costa Rica we’ve had engineers handle road safety issues for a very long time, and these professionals don’t always have the human being at the center of their work. In fact, it seems that children, the elderly and pedestrians in general are the least of their concerns when it comes to designing roads and communities. Forget about those who have some disability. As you can probably tell these engineers don’t seem to think [the disabled] are entitled to use the public roads.
It’s true. The other day I saw a guy in a wheel chair speeding down San Ramon de Tres Rios. He was making good time, but what a way to go. He had no other option other than blazing down the road with the rest of the traffic. Or how about those Mothers with their baby carriages perusing down the street without any other option but to go toe to toe with a Kia…Crazy stuff.
Everything is built around the motor vehicle, and you can see the symptoms of this disorder when you look at the miles and miles of highways without any pedestrian bridges or crosswalks, even in places where there is a considerable flow of people who must cross the road on foot to get to work or school. Those of us who make frequent trips to the Public Registry in Zapote, can see the lack of concern for pedestrians reflected in the fact that the pedestrian light right in front of the main entrance has been out of service there for months now, and nobody seems to care. Just the other day I had to jump out of the way of a driver, who had the kindness of steering his mighty 4x4 towards me as I was standing in the middle of the road, on the pedestrian crosswalk, waiting for a chance to get across the other half of the road. Here in Desamparados, I have made requests to the Ministry of Public Transportation, as well as the Municipality and the Maxi Mercado supermarket for a pedestrian crossing, and despite numerous accidents, and after about two years, nothing has happened.
Won’t the authorities step in…it is their job after all?
The authorities claim there are insufficient funds. But that is a typical response when it comes to road safety. There is money for a great variety of projects and even for Pavarotti concerts where the government makes investments, but when it comes to road safety, there is simply never any money. Nor is there a will to enforce traffic laws, and drivers are allowed to break the most elementary rules with total impunity.
The problem is one of public policy. Public administrators see more potential for votes in other areas, like free trade and even immigration. Sadly, very few will listen to you when it comes to road safety.
So let talk about the bottom line, how many traffic accidents are there in Costa Rica? God knows I’ve come close.
In Costa Rica one-person dies every day due to a traffic accident, and that is just deaths, injuries are another story altogether. The problem boils down to the fact that these roads made by Costa Rican engineers, with the car in mind, do not consider the community as their primary concern. There is an urgent need of help from professionals in the social sciences, such as lawyers and teachers who can bring a multi-disciplinary vision into the problem, as well as sensitivity towards such a grave social problem. Ideally we need to have the person at the center of urban planning.
So what is the solution? Based on what I have seen there isn’t much to look forward to other than a potential car accident.
There are many actions needed in order to change our current culture of aggressiveness behind the wheel, and lack of respect for traffic laws. As an immediate step in the right direction, I would suggest a course to revalidate driver licenses and road safety education as part of the curriculum in public schools. As I just mentioned, the human being needs to be put back into the equation.
Well, I hope we can expect to see some changes soon…my odds have to be running out.
Arcelio Hernandez Mussio is a Costa Rican lawyer, notary, official translator and real estate broker. He obtained his Associate in Arts from Long Beach City College, in 1992, and his law degree from UIA in 2000. He has worked as a consultant for private and public entities, and has written extensively on the topic of road safety in Costa Rica. Website: www.forovial.com Email: legalxpt@racsa.co.cr Cell: 365-3088.
Source: http://www.thetakemonthly.com/dontaskcvr.htm
Bad driving in Costa Rica is world renown. The Economist rated Costa Rica as the 12th worst place to drive in the World. Not bad considering there are roughly 195 countries around the Globe. But how bad is it? Arcelio Hernandez wrote a book about the Costa Rican driving culture and according to him we have some work to do. Make sure to read up before your next road trip. Check out Don’t Ask for the interview...
Let’s cut right to the chase. What’s the deal with the driving in Costa Rica? It’s almost as if no one knows the rules of the road. Just last week I had to explain to my taxi driver, “a professional”, what a flashing red light means. Pedestrians walk the streets as if they are dodging a horse and carriage, not two-ton motor vehicles made in South Korea. And the transportation infrastructure is as orderly as a Rolling Stones Concert.
Motor vehicles have drastically changed the landscape and the way of life for most people in every corner of the world. Very few realize how different life was just one century ago when we didn’t have the modern car or the roads that have been built to accommodate it. Understandably, some cultures have experienced a more rapid development in road safety aspects such as legislation, education and infrastructure, often linked to economic and other social considerations. This rapid development has come on so quickly that some cultures are unable to readily prepare themselves for the trials and tribulations of car ownership. Not surprisingly, Costa Rica is an example of just such a culture.
The first recorded death from a traffic accident took place in New York in 1899, when Henry H. Bliss was hit by a passing motor vehicle. Here in Costa Rica, a man by the name of Constantino Bernsconi brought the first traffic signs from Guatemala in 1958. THE TAKE readers will appreciate the fact that we are talking about recent history when it comes to the modern concepts of road safety and traffic laws in Costa Rica.
When is Costa Rica going to get it together? It’s killed or be killed out there. Great name for a James Bond film but hardly a setting I would expect in a tourist destination.
If you have driven a car in Costa Rica you have probably noticed that road safety is a topic that has not been taken seriously enough by policy makers in Costa Rica. At most you will hear sporadic public statements from politicians when there is a big accident in which lives are lost. And although a few have had a genuine concern for public safety, there has been no political willingness to make necessary, long lasting changes in road safety policy. The costs in human life and economic resources are immense, but few in power have addressed the problem properly.
So why do you seem the one Costa Rican who cares, or knows, anything about this? Are there any politicians planning to hop on this band wagon of one?
There is very little technical literature on the topic of road safety in Costa Rica. This motivated me to write a book, which the University of Costa Rica has recently published. Its title, Hacia Una Nueva Cultura de Seguridad Vial, would translate to something like “Towards a New Road of Safety Culture”. Although I have handled traffic cases in court, mine is actually more of an academic inclination towards this field. Like many people coming back to Costa Rica after a long absence, I’ve experienced the shock of the real danger crossing a road here means and have taken to the task of contributing to make a difference for my children.
The task of creating public awareness regarding the importance of road safety education and enforcement of traffic laws is an ambitious one, and one that usually meets immediate resistance by those in power, who are more interested in different topics which are more likely to win them votes come election time.
Sounds hopeless…when can we expect a change?
Even if the very ambitious task of creating a certain level of public awareness were achieved, there would remain a long process of educating future drivers as well as changing the habits of the current users of public roads. It will probably take an entire generation to see any significant long-lasting results, and that is if those of us who insist that changes are necessary have some degree of success in creating public awareness, and achieve policy change in this country. In the meantime, Costa Rican drivers will continue to place more value on their daily schedule and even on material property, than on the lives of their neighbours. To those of us not accustomed to having cars come within inches of your body, as an incentive to walk faster while crossing the street, the task may seem immense, and at times disheartening.
The other day I was flipped off waiting for a light to change. What’s happening to the amiable, friendly Costa Rican we all know and love? It’s a far cry from the “Wave to the tourists” promotions of yesteryear.
We Ticos continue to suffer a radical transformation when we find ourselves behind the wheel. We’ll go from a very passive and peaceful state of mind, to an aggressive “get-out-of-my-way” frame of mind in a second.
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to visit Toronto, and I remember the interesting experience of crossing a street there, as drivers actually make a stop and don’t rush you as you make your way across. Of course, there is a very different infrastructure in Toronto, and a Tico might even think he is in a totally different planet when visiting that beautiful city in Canada. But it ought to serve as an example of how road safety education combined with a good infrastructure can work to create a more pleasant and safer urban life for people.
I have seen better urban planning in Lego Land. The roads have the width of a matchbox car and the sidewalk space for a dwarf. Why can’t Costa Rica follow the examples of cities like Toronto? Perhaps that’s aiming a bit too high. How about L.A.?
Unfortunately, here in Costa Rica we’ve had engineers handle road safety issues for a very long time, and these professionals don’t always have the human being at the center of their work. In fact, it seems that children, the elderly and pedestrians in general are the least of their concerns when it comes to designing roads and communities. Forget about those who have some disability. As you can probably tell these engineers don’t seem to think [the disabled] are entitled to use the public roads.
It’s true. The other day I saw a guy in a wheel chair speeding down San Ramon de Tres Rios. He was making good time, but what a way to go. He had no other option other than blazing down the road with the rest of the traffic. Or how about those Mothers with their baby carriages perusing down the street without any other option but to go toe to toe with a Kia…Crazy stuff.
Everything is built around the motor vehicle, and you can see the symptoms of this disorder when you look at the miles and miles of highways without any pedestrian bridges or crosswalks, even in places where there is a considerable flow of people who must cross the road on foot to get to work or school. Those of us who make frequent trips to the Public Registry in Zapote, can see the lack of concern for pedestrians reflected in the fact that the pedestrian light right in front of the main entrance has been out of service there for months now, and nobody seems to care. Just the other day I had to jump out of the way of a driver, who had the kindness of steering his mighty 4x4 towards me as I was standing in the middle of the road, on the pedestrian crosswalk, waiting for a chance to get across the other half of the road. Here in Desamparados, I have made requests to the Ministry of Public Transportation, as well as the Municipality and the Maxi Mercado supermarket for a pedestrian crossing, and despite numerous accidents, and after about two years, nothing has happened.
Won’t the authorities step in…it is their job after all?
The authorities claim there are insufficient funds. But that is a typical response when it comes to road safety. There is money for a great variety of projects and even for Pavarotti concerts where the government makes investments, but when it comes to road safety, there is simply never any money. Nor is there a will to enforce traffic laws, and drivers are allowed to break the most elementary rules with total impunity.
The problem is one of public policy. Public administrators see more potential for votes in other areas, like free trade and even immigration. Sadly, very few will listen to you when it comes to road safety.
So let talk about the bottom line, how many traffic accidents are there in Costa Rica? God knows I’ve come close.
In Costa Rica one-person dies every day due to a traffic accident, and that is just deaths, injuries are another story altogether. The problem boils down to the fact that these roads made by Costa Rican engineers, with the car in mind, do not consider the community as their primary concern. There is an urgent need of help from professionals in the social sciences, such as lawyers and teachers who can bring a multi-disciplinary vision into the problem, as well as sensitivity towards such a grave social problem. Ideally we need to have the person at the center of urban planning.
So what is the solution? Based on what I have seen there isn’t much to look forward to other than a potential car accident.
There are many actions needed in order to change our current culture of aggressiveness behind the wheel, and lack of respect for traffic laws. As an immediate step in the right direction, I would suggest a course to revalidate driver licenses and road safety education as part of the curriculum in public schools. As I just mentioned, the human being needs to be put back into the equation.
Well, I hope we can expect to see some changes soon…my odds have to be running out.
Arcelio Hernandez Mussio is a Costa Rican lawyer, notary, official translator and real estate broker. He obtained his Associate in Arts from Long Beach City College, in 1992, and his law degree from UIA in 2000. He has worked as a consultant for private and public entities, and has written extensively on the topic of road safety in Costa Rica. Website: www.forovial.com Email: legalxpt@racsa.co.cr Cell: 365-3088.
Source: http://www.thetakemonthly.com/dontaskcvr.htm
