Seat belt use in Costa Rica has increased dramatically following new legislation and an FIA Foundation-backed awareness campaign led by the Automobile Club of Costa Rica, according to police sources.
Traffic police director Ignacio Sanchez is reported to have said that 87% of Costa Ricans are now using their seatbelts compared with a wearing rate of a mere 21% prior to the introduction of the legislation. The traffic police are currently issuing around 240 tickets a day for non compliance with seatbelt wearing. The fine is set at about 5% of minimum monthly salary with a 30% tax for the National Children's Fund added. Provisional statistics report 239 road deaths up to October 2004 which is 54 less than in 2003. The police report that 70-80% of the people who die in a car crash are not wearing their seatbelts.
Source: Al Día