Driving
in Ciudad Juarez,
Mexico
 You
should read this page carefully before you just causually cross
the border in your car making the same mistake millions of people
do: driving without Mexican insurance.
Driving in Juarez, Mexico is like driving in
any other large city which has crowded, narrow streets, lots
of pedestrians, and heavy traffic. It is not recommended that
you drive in the city on your first few trips. Take some time
to acquaint yourself first. If you do eventually decide to drive,
you must have Mexican auto insurance. In the United States,
auto accidents can become a criminal matter in certain circumstances,
but in Mexico an accident is automatically treated as both a
criminal and a civil matter.
Although many American auto policies will pay
claims in the “free trade zone” (roughly 15 miles
in Mexico that does not mean that you are
legally insured to drive in Mexico. Only a policy carried by
a Mexican insurance carrier will be considered a valid policy
by Mexican authorities. Without a Mexican insurance policy you
could be arrested and have your car impounded in even a minor
accident. Should you be involved in a serious accident
without a Mexican insurance policy---well, life, as you know
it, is over until the matter is cleaned up. Don't gloss over
this matter because of something an insurance salesman told
you: there is a fine distinction being having a policy which
will pay claims and one which is considered legal insurance
in another country. This point is lost on thousands of drivers
who feel secure because their agent has told them they are "covered"
in the free trade zone. Being covered and being
legal are two different matters.
Missing the big point here could cost you time
in jail until the damages are paid. Hundreds of Americans drive
in Juarez every day without Mexican insurance. Many of them
come to drink and enjoy the city's robust nightlife. But the
party will be over the day they have an accident involving serious
property damage or injuries. The Mexican police are not going
to release a foreign traveller until the matter is settled,
because that person might decide to skip the country and just
never come back. Believe those who think they know
better at your own peril. I've just given you the facts.
Here is another thing to remember: if you are
found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, any insurance
policy you may have---American or Mexican---is considered null
and void in Mexico. So don't consider Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
your own private party town, and don't assume a hundred dollar
bill will buy your way out of anything on this side of the border.
All that said, I would ask one question: Is
it too much to ask of someone to obey the law by getting Mexican
insurance and not to drink and drive? I think not...and if you
do otherwise, you are playing with your quality of life in a
very grave fashion. Things will be just fine until one night...
Once you have Mexican auto insurance, remember
the following tips:
- Go slow but flow with traffic. Your only
goal when driving in Mexico is to avoid an accident. If you
have aggressive driving habits, then I would suggest you just
pretend to be in angel training for the period of time you
are in Mexico---especially when you encounter aggressive
drivers here.
- Be constantly on the lookout for
pedestrians. Most Americans are simply not accustomed to the
enormous number of pedestrians and non-typical vehicles encountered
in Juárez. A child, old person with a walker, a woman
carrying a baby, or a man pulling a wagon with a donkey can
pop out from anywhere at any time.
- If you cannot see, creep forward slowly at
intersections. One of the most unsettling things you will
first encounter driving in Juarez is the way people will pull
the front of their cars into a street so they can see around
the parallel parked cars. You will also have to do so. Just
do it carefully.
- Whatever you do, if making a right or left
hand turn, do not frantically step on the gas once you are
clear to get into the stream of rapidly oncoming traffic.
Take another second to look in the direction you are going
to see if a pedestrian has stepped into your path, because
there is about a 50/50 chance one has...
It was not my intention to make it sound like
a miserable experience driving Juarez, because it's not. It's
just that being in a foreign country throws a whole new dimension
into the risks of day-to-day driving. Be smart: don't drink
and drive and get Mexican insurance before you drive
in Juarez, Mexico. |
