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Road Rules and Traffic Regulations in Mexico - Driving Nuances
1. Intensity is the main feature of traffic in Mexico. Cars move out of order on the streets of the country. This may seem rather unusual for drivers who are used to ride on a certain lane when driving.
2. Even in large cities one-way streets are the most widespread. They are so narrow that turning around or parking on them is simply impossible.
3. Crossroads are also a striking feature of local roads. Here crossroads are rarely a place where meet only two streets. As a rule, crossroads have three (and sometimes more) streets intersected at different angles. In addition, they can be extended by two-and three-storey racks.
4. Given that many intersections simply have no road signs that would explain the rules of passing them, crossroads have become the most dangerous sections of local roads for foreign visitors.
5. Many roads in the territory of cities are distinguished by the huge number of speed limiters (“speed bumps”), some of which are official, and some of which are self-established by locals.
Nuances of Car Rental in Mexico
To save on your rental, we advise to book your car in advance. You will save the most if you do this several weeks or even several months prior to your trip. Rental offices in Mexico usually raise rental prices over time, based on the number of cars left available for the accounting period.
When looking for an exotic car (cabriolet, minivan or limousine), we advise to check in the rental offices located at airports, as they usually provide much wider choice comparing to offices in urban areas.
Upon receipt of invoices, bills and documents for your car at the rental location, please compare the obtained data with your voucher. Quite often, employees of rental offices in Mexico try to add optional charges or services without informing customers.
It is very important to pick up your car at the rental office in Mexico in a correct way. Prior to leaving the office, carefully inspect the car for various defects, and ensure that all the discovered defects are mentioned in your rental documents. In case of a non-compliance found, place a demand for correction to the rental officer.
You can always check our car actual rental offers in Mexico. Simply use the search form at the top of the page. We guarantee that you will not find better prices anywhere else!
7. Taking into consideration the abovementioned peculiarities of local roads, drivers should always have a little more fuel in the tank than needed for the planned trip. Foreign travellers should also take into account the fact that many local petrol stations may simply not have petrol, so fill up the tank on the first petrol station on the road is not always possible.
8. In Mexico, there are both toll (Cuota) and free (Libre) roads. The first type is distinguished by a wonderful quality of surface and various services. As a rule, toll roads are laid between major cities and popular resort areas.
9. Free roads mostly have only one lane and are distinguished by numerous speed limiters. There are virtually no road signs there, so tourists are strongly advised to take a map of the region, in which they plan to travel.
10. Free roads often have so called “serpentine zones”, so motion sickness treatments will certainly be handy there. Picturesque views remain the main advantage of free roads – many local roads are located in very beautiful places.
11. When driving on a free road, in no case should drivers stop and pick up passengers. Robbers are very common “passengers” on free roads. It is recommended to be extremely cautious when driving at night. There are many car accidents on free roads at this time.
12. The cost of riding on toll roads is, on average, 10 USD for every 100 kilometers. The system of paying may be different in different toll roads. Sometimes checkpoints are located at the entrance, and sometimes at the exit from the highway.
13. Drivers should be particularly careful when choosing a place for parking. Do not leave the car in the street, as the chance of theft is very high. It is better to use covered parking lots, and leave the car near busy shopping centers or hotels.
15. There are speed limits on all kinds of roads. On the territory of some cities drivers are likely to see roads, on which it is simply impossible to move with the speed of more than 20 km/h. On toll roads the speed limit is usually 110 km/h. Local residents are not distinguished by diligent following speed limits, so speeding remains one of the most common violations in Mexico.
16. Police officers are on duty on many roads, so drivers can be fined even for a minor speeding. In general, the attitude of local police to foreign visitors is quite soft and loyal. It is likely that the first violation of traffic regulations will not result in a fine, and a driver will be simply warned.
17. Mexico City remains the leader in terms of heavy traffic jams. In capital, it is recommended to use cars only in case of emergency. There are approximately 8 million vehicles in Mexico, so driving at a high speed is simply impossible on local streets.
18. There is a very interesting rule that works on the streets of the capital. It is called “One day without a car” (Un Dia Sin Auto). Once a week, drivers are not allowed to use a personal car. The exact day, on which it is forbidden to ride a car, depends on the last digit in the car’s number.
19. Drivers are recommended to pay attention to «Hoy no Circula» road signs, they provide a detailed description of the abovementioned rule. Starting from the beginning of December to the end of January, there are two days “without a car” instead of one.
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