One of the most common questions I hear from people about Mexico is, “Is it safe to drive there?”
People always want to know how we get around locally, and if we drive the three hours from SMA to Mexico City when we go there. Another popular question is if I have ever been stopped by the federales?…and if so, if I had to bribe them to continue on my journey?
Driving in Mexico is a complicated topic, and of course, everyone has different experiences doing so.
The constant? It is nothing like driving in the U.S. or Canada. It is not always easy and requires advanced planning and patience, but it can be extremely rewarding and beautiful. Renting a car is often stressful and frustrating. And when you learn that, up until 2018, Mexico City only required a written test and a fee before granting 16-year-olds a license, you might hesitate before merging into the chaos.
I have often been given, and even more often heard, advice for driving in Mexico that was confidently wrong.
I have shared my driving experiences in previous articles:
- Observations from my recent US-Mexico border crossings: A perspective from our CEO
- Is renting a car in Mexico always a nightmare?
- Is taking a road trip in Mexico a crazy idea? A perspective from our CEO
But given the consistently wrong comments we hear on this topic, we decided to make this week’s episode of Mexico News Daily’s Podcast on “Confidently Wrong about driving in Mexico.”
Check it out and let me know what you think! Do you agree with our thoughts and recommendations? Please share!
You can listen on our YouTube channel, Mexico News Daily TV, below or here on Spotify.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
Another good episode. Just to add a perspective about driving in Baja from someone who’s driven the length of it a couple of times:
There are basically no toll roads in Baja Sur (one in Baja), so you’ll be on the same roads as everyone else. Roads are more narrow than US roads and have little to no shoulder in the rural areas. This includes MX 1 which is the main road on the peninsula. There are potholes in the country in addition to topes in the towns, and the potholes can be deep and wide.
Travis’ advice to “drive like a grandma” is right, as long as grandma drives the speed limit. Mexicans will fly by, but they know the roads. You don’t. Trucks drive at night, fast. Cows and goats like to wander the roads at night because the pavement stays warm after the sun goes down. These are two more reasons in addition to those given in the podcast to not drive at night.
There are a stretches of road with few gas stations, and you can’t count on a gas station always being open. So, we consider “Baja empty” to be half a tank. Sometimes the credit card machine is broken so plan on paying in pesos. All Pemex stations are full service so tip the attendants a few pesos.
There’s a Facebook group called “Talk Baja Road Conditions” which can be a source of information about current road conditions, which can be affected by recent storms.
40 years driving in Mexico. Drive like the Mexicans and you won’t have a problem. Never never have I been stopped by police. I drive fast. I drive like my compadres on the road. 😀
Great conversation! George mentioned a car rental firm in Mexico City whose prices are transparent. To me, that is very important. There is an equivalent firm in Puerto Vallarta called Gecko. Their upfront price includes all fees and insurance. I’ve been renting from them for 15 years. (BTW, I’m not related to anybody who works there and I’m not getting a kickback for writing this! :>)
Driving in Mexico: remember you are in Mexico, not the US or Canada. As noted never drive at night. It is not safe, animals wandering on the highway, and opportunistic people who are looking for easy prey. Keep your tank full as you may get in a three hour shutdown. The National Guard will not stop you, they replaced the Federal Police. If you are driving in a state with cartel activity stay on the main roads, even a slight detour can land you in the middle of armed patrols. Road hazards are abundant everywhere, pot holes, topes, truck treads, and debris. Make sure your spare is good, carry a can of fix a flat, and the roadside Vulcas can repair your tire quickly. Follow these simple rules and your Mexican road trip will be fine. I have driven all over Mexico without any issues for the last eight years.
NoI don’t agree with ” drive like a grandma “… I drive like a Mexican…. fast and aggressive and defensively at the same time. We drive all over Mexico and to the usa and Canada . We don’t drive at night and we use the toll roads most of the time. Another one of our travel tricks as we have 3 dogs is we stay at the sex hotels just outside of most city limits. They have always been super clean, they’re usually around 350 pesos for the night, have garages for your car and allow dogs with no extra fee. They also have security on site. Some have restaurants and most have at least snacks ( among other interesting offerings 🤣). We often love taking a side trip to discover little pueblos and hidden gems.
As far as being stopped by police, federals or national guard or opportunists so far nothing… 12 years and fingers crossed it stays that way ♥️🇲🇽♥️