| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay 
Mexico Road Safety Update - Part 2
 Dorothy and Bill Bell - ontheroadin.com
September 26, 2010
| | Visit OnTheRoadIn.com to view more photos and articles about road travel in Mexico. | |
Many Mexican newspapers are prone to exaggeration, sensationalism and often bear a stronger resemblance to the National Inquirer than the LA Times. From personal experience, when Bill and I were exploring a joint venture with a Mexican newspaper, we asked why they had so few ads. "We have many ads" said the editor. "The governor paid for this story, this restaurant paid for this one..."
In other words, every story was up to be bought. Some have said that the drug gang killings of Mexican newspaper reporters has to do with them not willing to run a "story" or conversely running ad-stories about rival gangs. We are very skeptical of articles written in many Mexican newspapers.
Additionally, Mexican newspapers and visual media have always shown the most gruesome, graphic pictures. They always have done so. A simple car accident shows all the gory details. The more blood and guts - the better.
This, of course, leads us to Canadian and US news articles. We look closely at where they get their information; where did they source their info (a Mexican newspaper?), who did they talk to and was the crime reported to authorities? Is there an anti Mexico bias in the story?
The US embassy has issued a very detailed and very chilling travel advisory. The Canadian Embassy has also written a travel advisory, albeit less detailed and therefore less alarming. We take these reports seriously and agree with many of the warnings. However, we are unsure how to compare some of these warnings to what we would expect of similar US or Canadian cities.
The only car-jacking statistics we could find is from a 2004 US Department of Justice report that states there are 38,000 car-jackings annually in the US; 74% of which a weapon was used. I believe the sheer volume of weapon related car-jackings in the US puts the Mexican situation into perspective. (Those US numbers seem alarmingly high to me, but I won't boycott travel in the US because of it.)
There are car hijackings
There are carjackings. There are carjackings in Canada and the US. Somehow they seem scarier in Mexico for a number of reasons.
a) The perpetrators have automatic rifles
b) The language barrier
c) The hijackers often appear like military or police
Let me begin by saying that guns scare the bejesus out of me anyway. I was brought up in a city in Canada where there are literally no guns lying around in the average household. My family doesn't hunt or otherwise use rifles.
Mexico, in fact Latin American countries in general, have always had a lot of visible guns. Outside jewelry stores and banks, for example, hire armed security guards stand out front of stores protecting the business. It has been this way ever since I started traveling in Mexico twenty years ago. The military has always had semiautomatics at drug checkpoints. It's the way it is. It's something I am not comfortable with however, and it is unnerving for this Canadian, even though I realize that it is a cultural, macho thing and will likely always be that way.
Not knowing the language is also somewhat unnerving when dealing with authority. You really just have to trust your best pigeon Spanish and their best pigeon English. You hope you are saying and doing the best thing for the situation.
Carjackers posing as the military or police are my biggest concern. I always want to follow the rules of the country when I visit. I want to stop at checkpoints or pullover when the lights behind me start to flash.
The reports I have read and the officials that I have spoken to agree that the drug gangs are not after a beat up old pick up. They are targeting vehicles that they can use to commit more crimes. They are looking for fast and powerful vehicles. They are after people involved in the drug trade - not your average Mom and Pop heading down the highway.
People are getting killed
I have no doubt that people are getting killed and that the true numbers are escalating. The gangs are out for the lucrative trade routes and territories. They are professionals that are trained to shoot and kill their enemies - rival gangs and any legitimate police or military that would get in the way.
Our Advice:
1. Travel if you feel comfortable. Don't let anyone tell you that it is 100% safe, no problem, all is good. While it is VERY likely that you will NOT experience anything out of the ordinary, there is no point going if you are too nervous to enjoy yourself.
2. If you are flying, get a taxi that is authorized from the airport.
3. Don't have anything to do with drugs. Stay away from places that look risky. Frequent tourist places in open, good areas of the destination. Ask the desk clerk at your hotel if you are in doubt.
4. Take busses that travel in daylight hours.
5. Drive out of border areas as quickly as possible. Make your first destination as far away from the border.
6. Drive on the main highways well into daylight hours. While we used to start at 6 am, we prefer more traffic now, so will start our day at 8. We quit earlier too. Of course, don't drive at night.
7. If possible, drive with another vehicle. This will give some confidence if nothing else. If there is a breakdown, you can have some immediate support.
8. Have a Mexican Cell phone. Get a throw away unit, pay as you go, to assist you if there is an emergency. Have the emergency number 078 for the green angles to help with vehicle breakdowns, or 066 in case of an emergency on your speed dial. The cheap cells cost about $30 USD.
9. Don't display your wealth anywhere. A big stuffed wallet doesn't impress anyone; it just makes you a target. Have one wallet with 500 pesos or so with smaller bills and any other money you have tucked away somewhere safe. Don't bring your precious jewelry or any other items that you cannot afford to lose.
10. If you are in an RV, don't boon dock. Not at a Wal-Mart. Not at a Pemex. Not at a beach. Select the campgrounds that you will hit and stay there.
11. Have a plan in case there ever was an "unauthorized roadblock".
Our Plan For An Unauthorized Roadblock:
We always plan for the worst case scenario so this conversation of course came up. We figure our lives are worth more than our possessions, so we have adapted the following plan for ourselves in case of an assault via an unauthorized roadblock.
1. Don't try to outrun or break though the barrier
2. Keep your hands on the wheel or on the dash in a visible manner.
3. Don't stare or otherwise appear that you are trying to identify the culprits.
4. Wait for instructions to get out of the vehicle.
5. Hand over anything they ask for.
We would suggest that this plan would be good for any country... Mexico, Canada, the US or Europe. We do not know, have not heard or have not read of anyone who has been hurt if they pose no resistance.
To assist road travelers, we have set up a bulletin board. We are not interested in the immigration debate, gun control or whether you think there is a conspiracy to keep folks from travel in Mexico. The board is for people who want to travel to Mexico and want the best and most recent advice possible about road conditions and safety.
We can also say that we hate message boards where people hide behind assumed identities and bash individuals or groups. We are NOT here to do that. We want a board where people are responsible for their statements especially because this has to do with safety. We also want people to contribute. If you subscribe to this board then we expect you to participate. Participation means writing your own road report and submitting it as soon as you get to your destination.
Please go to MexicoRoadTrips.com and sign in. Let us know when you are crossing and if you want company. Report back as soon as you arrive at your destination. Have a pencil and paper while you drive to take note of authorized roadblocks, or anything out of the ordinary. There have been many floods this year. Let others know about detours, broken-up roads and other natural hazards.
 Dorothy and Bill Bell have lectured about Mexico Road and RV travel in colleges, RV Shows and private seminars throughout Western Canada and the US. They have travelled to all 31 states over a dozen times and are considered experts on road travel in this amazing country. Visit OnTheRoadIn.com to view photos and articles about Mexico. You can contact Bill and Dorothy at editor(at)ontheroadin.com.
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