Zero Tolerance
For Drinking and
Driving
Seven of the
eight
legislative
parties are
looking for a
zero tolerance
to drinking and
driving in
discussing the
reforms to the
Ley de Tránsito,
that is
currently at the
commission level
and soon to
before the
legislative
assembly for
voting.
The only party
to object to the
zero tolerance
is the Partido
Liberación
Nacional (PLN),
the ruling
party, that is
supporting
changing the
limit from the
current 0.75
blood alcohol
content, to
0.50.
The current law
that went into
effect on March
1, 2010 makes
drinking and
driving a
criminal act
with a penalty
of one to three
years jail for
drivers with
over a 0.75
reading and a
¢381.000 colones
fines for those
with a reading
of 0.50 and
0.75.
The subject of
drinking and
driving is one
of the major
provisions in
the reforms to
the Ley de
Tránsito. The
other is the
reduction of the
high traffic
fines and
elimination of
the point
system.
The previous
legislative
assembly
approved the Ley
de Tránsito in
December 2008
with only the
drinking and
driving
provisions going
into effect on
that date, while
the rest of the
law went into
effect on March
1, 2010. And it
was the same
legislative body
that began
making changes
to the law that
it had approved,
but could not
come to an
agreement on the
changes and left
it to the
current
legislative
assembly that
took office on
May 1, 2010.
It is expected
that the reforms
to the traffic
law will be
before
legislators for
a vote.
Legislator
Francisco Chacón
of the PLN party
explained that
one of the
changes being
discussed is
chaning the law
to 0.50 from the
0.75 and more
severe sanctions
against drunk
drivers under
the age of 25
and
"professional"
drivers.
However, Juan
Carlos Mendoza,
of the Partido
Acción Ciudadana
(PAC)
legislators,
said they his
party will not
move from the
zero tolerance
stance. The
Libertarios, led
by Danilo Cubero,
express the same
position, adding
that drivers are
the influence of
alcohol is
dangerous and
that there is no
justification of
any permissible
percentage verus
a life.
The PASE, the
Partido
Restauración
Nacional, the
Frente Amplio y
Renovación
Costarricense
and the Partido
Unidad Social
Cristiana all
want to see a
0.0 limit.
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