Thursday, April 3, 2025

Taxi driver attacks passengers who asked him not to use phone

There are no statistics to back up the claim, but personal observation by this correspondent has led to the conclusion that taxi drivers are among the worst drivers in Mexico.

Not only are they ill-trained but habits such as texting and speaking on cell phones while driving — some even watch videos on dash-mounted screens — put many people at risk.

But complaining doesn’t necessarily accomplish anything, as a couple of passengers in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, discovered this week. When they asked the driver to stop using his phone and focus on driving instead, he didn’t take the request calmly.

Instead, he physically assaulted them. The passengers got out of the vehicle with the aid of passersby and their attacker fled the scene.

The unidentified driver and his cab — number 02-968 — are being sought by state traffic police in the resort destination after a formal complaint was filed.

Traffic regulations forbid the use of mobile phones while driving except when the driver is using hands-free devices or a speakerphone.

Source: Quadratín (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum stands at the presidential podium looking out at an audience off-camera with her fist raised and her mouth open as if cheering. Behind her is a wall with the words in Spanish: Plan Mexico, Strenghtening the Economy and Well-Being, Mexico City April 3, 2025.

Sheinbaum unveils an even more ambitious version of her transformative Plan México

2
Sheinbaum said the projects she announced as part of Plan México will bring about more well-paid employment, less poverty and inequality, greater investment and production and more innovation.
A clear-cut strip of land cuts through the jungle along the Maya Train route in Yucatán

Government promises restoration plan for Maya Train environmental damage

0
Government officials said the track's builders will be responsible for funding a restoration effort that includes reforestation and improving natural migration corridors.
Cans of Cororna Extra beer lying on a bed of large ice cubes

Trump announces new US tariffs on Mexican… beer

15
Mexico didn't end up on Donald Trump's "liberation day" list of enemy countries, although the U.S. did impose tariffs on a surprising Mexican item: beer in cans.