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RULES FOR DRIVING IN MEXICOWHOEVER IS ONE INCH AHEAD HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY. All the rest of the rules derive from this one. The vehicle that is one inch ahead may do anything…. Consequently you MUST PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVING AT ALL TIMES. This in actuality makes driving in Mexico safer because EVERYONE really is paying attention. Yeah, and the few that didn’t pay attention are all dead! Making it even safer. FORGET EVERYTHING YOU WERE TAUGHT ABOUT DEFENSIVE DRIVING. Driving in Mexico, as in most of the world, is Offensive. It really is a lot more fun, though much more tiring. But, it is SAFER, because…….. Everyone really is forced to pay attention! (I saw a woman once in Albuquerque, New Mexico who must have been steering with her leg because she had her visor down applying lipstick with her eyes on the mirror while talking on her cell phone with the other hand…………….She wouldn’t last an hour here) Avoid driving at night. Mostly because you can’t see the splendor of Mexico but, there are the drunks and the burros. If you must drive at night, use the express-ways(toll roads)(cuota). Otherwise, always drive the secondary highways (libre). You will soon discover the many reasons why. Never to forget the old adage: Getting there really is half the fun. After many years and hundreds of thousands of boring miles on the interstates I started using the secondary roads in the US and found them much more inviting. This is even truer in Mexico. I’ll let you discover the reasons for yourselves. Please remember that the roads here, even the expressways often have not only no shoulder but at times, a 16 inch drop-off at the edge of the pavement. This is really no problem as long as you STAY ON THE ROAD. Duh. And, yeah, pay attention at ALL times. DO NOT Stop for pedestrians or bicycles or dogs. The car is King; and you risk being hit in the rear because no one would expect anyone to be so stupid. Although, if you hit a person you go directly to prison so; you really should try and pay attention…………………… All stop signs really just mean yield. Unless of course there is a Transito cop who can see there is a gringo driving…..Teeeket!? Hey, this is a good place to explain the system. Up North you get a ticket for rolling a stop sign (though you did look twice and the way was clear and, in many instances it is safer ‘to roll’ since you can clear the intersection quicker); $150.00 for the infraction, $60.00 court costs, points and your boss is pissed because you were an hour late to work that day and than you have been gone for half a day in court. And, your insurance company will be notified. Here: The cop sees it’s a gringo and ALL GRINGOS ARE RICH….. Teeeket!?….. “No, no ticket. Here’s 50 pesos (less than 5 bucks).” “Oh, mucha gracias senor.” Shakes your hand while telling you, “We are now amigos forever.” He keeps 20 pesos and gives 30 pesos to the sergeant; the sergeant keeps 10 pesos and gives 20 pesos to the lieutenant; the lieutenant………get it? It is important to remember that they pay the cops almost nothing. They buy food for the family on a percentage of the take…….. Fair enough. You may turn left ONLY on the green arrow. Are there any traffic circles left in the US? Remember that the vehicle IN the circle has the right of way. So, all you have to do is get in than you can do anything you want. In Mexico a car without a horn is as dangerous as one with faulty steering and brakes. Light taps of the horn to let the guy know you are there and lay on the mother if the guy screws –up. There are often NO signs telling you of one-way or stop. You are simply expected to know….Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Hopefully Toyota fired whoever it was that put the incredibly stupid following statement in one of their advertisements……….. *Research shows that most accidents happen because the driver isn't paying attention. Toyota “The shortest amount of time (in Mexico) ever measured is that between the traffic light changing from red to green and the guy behind you honking.” Stolen from Johnny Carson |
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