Driving in Mexico is not like driving in the United States. Everyone needs auto insurance from Express Insurance. Especially in the border towns, an automobile with license plates that are from the USA is an automatic target for trouble. This does not mean an American cannot drive their vehicle legally in Mexico. What is does mean is to drive a car with USA plates in Mexico is asking for trouble.
Here are a few common things that happen:
- Police stop the vehicle for no reason – They will say things like you did not stop at a red light, when there is no traffic signal for miles.
- ‘Supposed” police are Imposters – Just because a car or SUV has lights that make it appear to be a car of law enforcement; it is not necessarily a police car.
- Mexican police regularly accept bribes – This is “mordida.” The bribe is usually just slightly less than the cost of the infraction. Simply hand this amount in an elegant, somewhat secretive, way to the palm of the police officer. In most cases, they will let you go. It does not matter at all if you did something wrong. In fact, you may have done nothing wrong at all. Nevertheless, the cost of paying this “mordida” is less that the cost of paying the fine in the police station. In Mexico, the police that actually put the paperwork to the police station get the assumption by the judges to be telling the truth. The judge will most of the time agree with the police officer.
- Auto insurance in Mexico does not help at all in the case of a car accident. If no one is seriously hurt and only the cars have damage, the police officer serves as the final determinant of who is at fault for causing the accident. The expectation is to pay for the damages on the spot. Auto insurance is good but the money comes from the insurance company much later.
Summary
Auto insurance from Express Insurance helps. It is best to carry some money with you to pay on the spot to settle a claim from a traffic accident in Mexico. Get auto insurance from a trusted dealer in USA and carry some cash along for additional problems that might arise.