Nearly half of road fatalities in August were attributed to speeding, according to recent data released by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT). The trend continues a pattern observed over the past three years, with excessive speed remaining the leading cause of deaths on Costa Rican roads.
Martín Sánchez Agüero, deputy director of the Traffic Police, said that speeding is a persistent structural problem resulting in the loss of drivers’, passengers’, and third parties’ lives. “Las prisas, el estrés, la falta de planificación en el recorrido o el simple deseo de violentar la Ley y ‘meterle gas’ al vehículo, porque es de madrugada y no hay más vehículos en la vía, son algunas motivaciones que contribuyen a que el exceso de velocidad sea la principal causa de muerte en carretera, en el 2025, con corte a agosto,” Sánchez explained.
In August alone, 22 out of 45 road deaths were linked to accidents caused by speeding. Cumulatively through August this year, there have been 146 fatalities attributed to excessive speed—44 more than during the same period last year.
Sánchez expressed concern that even during leisure trips or holidays when people are expected to be more relaxed and less hurried, fatal accidents due to speeding still occur. He noted: “Para Sánchez, es lamentable que, incluso cuando se sale de paseo, ocurran percances por este tema, pues se supone que las personas están más relajadas… lamentablemente se han habituado a siempre andar contratiempo y esa conducta ya les es natural y ni de vacaciones dejan de correr ni planifican bien sus recorridos; entonces se levantan tarde y para llegar al ferry a tiempo abusan de la velocidad…”
Running late for appointments or daily obligations such as taking children to school has led many individuals to normalize risky behaviors like overtaking in opposing lanes. This practice was responsible for another 90 deaths in the first eight months of the year and is now ranked as the second leading cause of road fatalities.
Pedestrians also face risks associated with hurried behavior. As reported by MOPT officials, unsafe actions such as crossing streets against traffic signals or avoiding pedestrian bridges have contributed to 43 pedestrian deaths up until August. Driver recklessness accounted for an additional 44 deaths over this period.
Motorcyclists remain especially vulnerable on Costa Rica’s roads. They represented 54% of all traffic-related deaths at accident sites so far this year—209 out of 389 fatalities within eight months—a figure that surpasses last year’s numbers by 50 cases for the same timeframe. Since 2014 motorcycles have consistently been involved in most fatal crashes.
While law enforcement continues efforts on highways—removing vehicles without proper documentation from circulation and penalizing illegal or dangerous conduct such as riding without helmets or ignoring traffic lights—the responsibility ultimately lies with motorcyclists themselves due to their high vulnerability compared to other road users.
“Nos hemos topado parejas que llevan a su bebé en medio de ellos en una motocicleta… hemos parado en carretera a motociclistas… vestidos con impermeable negro… con la luz apagada y sin cinta reflectante… entonces sí hay un serio problema de auto cuido en muchos de ellos; sin obviar la responsabilidad de otros actores viales hacia ellos…” Sánchez said.
Bicyclists also face significant dangers on Costa Rican roads: there have been 26 cyclist deaths so far this year—four more than last year at this point. Automobiles account for the second-highest number of roadway fatalities after motorcycles (55), also marking an increase from previous statistics.
