Safety Tips

Driving & Safety Advises for a pleasant trip

When driving:

  • Some drivers in Costa Rica show “competitive” driving habits or do not always follow traffic rules. Always drive concentrated and count with errors by others.
  • Try to avoid driving in the dark due to bad road conditions (i.e. missing manhole covers).
  • Expect anything on the road, anytime (potholes, mudslides, animals).
  • Always keep your distance and expect sudden turns by others without using their turn signals.
  • Drive SLOW on dirt/gravel roads, especially when going downhill. Your breaking distance is much larger and it is easy to lose control over the car.
  • Only use SUPER gasoline (not Regular nor Diesel). Gas stations are always full-service.
  • Return car with a full gas tank (or you will be charged gasoline plus a $15 service charge).
  • If you rent for an extended period, check on oil, water, and tire pressure occasionally.

River Crossings, driving on beaches, use of the 4×4

  • The 4×4 mode is optional and can be activated if needed. Only use it for very steep or muddy sections and for short distances only.
  • On long downhill stretches, please use the engine brake (= lower gear or the “2” position for automatic cars) in order to prevent overheating of the brakes.
  • It is not allowed to drive the car on any beach.
  • Many river-crossings cannot be passed for a good part of the year. Always check the depth before crossing and have another car pass first!! If in doubt, take an alternate route!! Damages caused river crossings will be the entire responsibility of the customer.

When parking the car

  • Use designated parking areas only. If you park wrongly, police can confiscate the license plates. Costs for recuperating the license plates are to be paid entirely by customer (US$400-US$600).
  • Leave the car in first gear (or in the “P” position) when you park it and pull the handbrake.
  • Make sure not to park under coconut or mango trees (as you may risk broken windshields!).
  • For overnight parking, ask your hotel/hostel which is the safest place.
  • NEVER leave ANY belongings in the car when it is out of sight or not on a guarded parking.

Navegating

  • There are decent (offline) Apps to help you navigate such as GOOGLE MAPS, MAPS.ME or WAZE
  • However, YOU CAN NOT ALWAYS RELY ON THEM. They might suggest routes that are not passable for normal vehicles. (We had to rescue customers that followed blindly what their App said). Besides the App, also check the road map and use common sense.
  • Often it is better, to put in a waypoint in between your current and your final destination. Ask our staff which stretches of your trip might be difficult/impossible. We will be glad to check your planned route and will also line out the best route on a detailed paper-map.
  • In case of doubt, turn around and try to find an alternative route.
  • To driving times given by navigation Apps, you must add some 50% to get a more realistic time.

In case of technical problems

  • Call us if you have a technical problem! Do not have repairs done without our consent.
  • Flat tires are the responsibility of the renter. Cars have a full-sized spare tire and the flat tire can be repaired at gas stations or tire repair shops (“taller de llantas”). Costs are US$5-$8

In case of an accident

  1. Do not move the car and call us immediately.
  2. In case of a larger accident, you will have to call traffic police and insurance. They will send two separate inspectors to the accident spot to take reports.
  3. After an accident, customer/driver is required to present himself within 5 working-days at a designated traffic-court and give a detailed statement on the accident.
  4. All documentation (police report, insurance report as well as statement at the traffic court) must be presented to Offroad Rental Costa Rica SRL, otherwise insurance will not cover. If asked for contact information, please give our phone number (+506) 8844-6568 and e-mail: info@offroad-costarica.com.

In case of minor damages, we often try and find an arrangement with the other driver in order to avoid insurance/traffic police. So please call us first, before calling the police.

Police controls / traffic tickets

You might get stopped by police when driving. This can be just a normal control, and police might ask for passport, driver license and car documents. In case of traffic violations, police is NOT allowed to be paid in cash, but must issue a ticket. That must then be paid at a bank before leaving the country.

Traffic fines for speeding, using a mobile phone, passing a solid center-line, parking wrongly etc. are drastic, ranging from US$100- US$500 (plus a 30% government tax) Customers are responsible to pay all traffic fines caused by them during the rental (as well as recuperation of confiscated license plates). Not paying traffic fines might result in serious problems when trying to leave the country.

Other

  • Tap-water usually is drinkable in Costa Rica. Ordering tap water in a restaurant is not uncommon.
  • Be aware of possible rip currents at many beaches at certain times.
  • Normally NO TIPPING (i.e. gas stations, restaurants etc.). Restaurants already have a 10% service charge included in the bill. Only tipping is for parking guards (some 400 Colones for short term – parking)

Useful phone numbers