Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Driving in Mexico-Ixtapa,Acap,Oaxaca

Driving in Mexico can be a great way to get around,as long as you follow a few common-sense precautions.

Here are a few suggestions:

1.Rent your car from a reputable agency with offices in the US as well as Mexico (like Hertz, Avis, etc..)so that you have some recourse in case of a problem.

2. Be sure that you have adequate insurance. Even though our platinum
credit card technically covers liability and collision insurance for
rental cars, in Mexico we purchase the insurance. That'sbecause under Mexican law, all parties in an accident are considered guilty until proven otherwise, and unless you can produce proof of insurance or payment for damages ON THE SPOT, you will probably be put in in jail. Which proof do you think the small-town, non-English-speaking Mexican police officer or magistrate is more likely to find convincing -an official car-insurance policy (written in Spanish) or the verbal claim of a gringo stranger that "my gold card covers this"?

3. Realize that you will have have to share the road with pedestrians, bicycles, tricycles, farm machinery, and occasion farm ANIMALS, and exercise appropriate vigilance.

4.Whatever you do, don't drive at night in Mexico. It's not just that the risk of banditry increases, but the darkness makes all those pedestrians,
farm animals, and slow-moving vehicles (which probably have no taillights or reflectors) a lot harder to see.

5.Learn about the driving habits of the Mexicans, so that you will understand, for example,that when that car in front of you has turned on its left blinker, it almost certainly doesn't mean that the driver means to turnleft, but that that he is courteously signallingthat it's safe to pass him.Most guidebooks about Mexico address the Mexican driving practices to some extent;the most detailed (and funniest) description is in The People' Guide to Mexico. Learning the Spanish for a few key road signs (like "one-way", "bridge closed", etc...) is also a good idea (don't count on road signs having Englsih translations)

6. There are gigantic speed bumps (called "topes") at the outskirts of many Mexican villages and hamlets. Hitting one of these at high speed is a good way to lose an axle on that rental car.

7. Driving in larger Mexican towns and cities (like Acapulco and Oaxaca) can be - well, exciting.Just stay very alert and realize that all the Mexican drivers around you consider the traffic signals and signs purely optional.

8. Most gas station attendants are honest, but you may run into the occasional scam artist who will attempt to swipe your gas cap, start the pump at a level above zero, or even try to charge you a higher price for the gas you bought (look at the numerical display on the pump, and don't confuse the number of liters pumped with the numberof pesos owed). Just be sure when filling up that at least one of your party never takes their eyes of the gas station attendant for a single instant.