Costa Rica Tourists Getting Credit Cards Charged for Speeding?

This email is from Clint who sent us a message asking if what Linda Gray said is true. Maybe there are other people more knowledgeable about this, that can comment on this. We do not speak for Laura but I certainly do not think she would advocate this type of due process or lack of due process.

I read this in the Tico Times. Is this acurate? My family was planing to come to CR in January and we would like to know if this is what we have to expect for speeding. Please let me know so we can be properly advised on if this is the way you treat people.

Mexico is closer cheaper and apparantly a more friendly place

Clints email was in reply to the message below and copied to us:

Speeding Tickets Bad for Tourism
Posted: Thursday, October 13, 2011 – By Linda Gray
Dear Tico Times:
So now we have a talking sloth telling tourists what a wonderful and
happy place this is to visit. What he should be telling them is that
the silly government here decided to slam your credit card with a
$600-700 speeding ticket for going 20 kilometers (isn’t that like 12
mph?) over the speed limit in your rental car.
You didn’t know? Lo siento. Nothing you can do about it. Pay up or
don’t come back.
I heard of a tourist down this way whose credit card got hit for three
tickets while she was here, maxing out her credit card. She couldn’t
pay her hotel bill. She had no more money left. I’m sure that made a
great impression on her and on all of her friends who will hear about
it when she gets back home.
And this is happening in an economy where most people really have to
make a conscious decision where to spend their hard-earned vacation
dollars. Are you kidding me? If I were a tourist and I heard about
this speeding ticket and camera fiasco, I would just go somewhere
else. Wouldn’t you?