How do you guys deal with the traffic and other nonsense

[johndish]

Ok,

I have been gone for almost 5 years and came back this weekend for a very specific purpose. I was supposed to meet my sister and law at Gran Plaza at 3 and drive to KM 80 to talk to my guy about getting my palapas fixed.

Boy is this different than Winter Garden Florida. First of all renting a car here is one of the most painful experiences in the world. In the u.s. i arrive and the keys are in the car for me. Today I went to Payless and was overwhelmed by the 30 minutes it took for the couple ahead of me to check in. but, at least it primed me for what I was heading into. I could decline insurance but, if I did they would charge almost $20,000 on my credit card (who has that limit?).

then i get on the roads I have gotten so used to respect for the lanes, cooperation, etc. that I am simply overwhelmed by the traffic going from Courtyard by Marriott to Downtown. Then as I head out to KM 80 the amount of people walking/biking/driving on the road without any reflectors is amazing. I am happy to be in my hotel room safe and sound. Either I have gotten very old, Cancun has changed or I am used to the calm and respective driving of the u.s.

[ToriB]

I don't and will never drive here cause it's absolute nuts, but I have never seen calm or respective driving in the US. The road rage and the killings I have heard about in the PA/NJ area in the last 5 years is horrific. Never see road rage around here no matter how bad it is.

[Steve]

Driving here is ridiculous. He who is in front has the power and most people will do whatever they can to be in front. I'm sure people think they are playing on their Xbox or something. They're putting in a new underpass at Bonfil - like anyone needs to drive faster on that road.

John, Dani is at Alexandre now, so I do the school pick up every day at 2pm. I'm sure you know the route, pick up at school, drive towards airport for a few miles then returno and back to downtown. One of the busiest times of the day, idiots everywhere. Mom's with a cellphone stuck to their ear in an Audi Q8 with 4 kids jumping all over or macho men who just have to be first.

Road Rage: hmm I used to do that - not real rage just a few gestures and sounding the horn at the idiots who have no care for others. I don't do it now, it's too dangerous. I just bite my tongue and let them continue, keeping well away from them.

[BruceWedding]

Well, I came here from Houston and its not much worse. I quickly adapted and now I'm driving like a real Mexican.

Having spent a lot of time in Bogota, Colombia, I can tell you it's all relative. Over there, stop lights and lanes are mere suggestions. It is VERY common to see 5 cars across a 3 lane road, mirrors literally fractions of an inch apart.

And I can tell you, the don't honk anything like they do in Colombia and especially nothing like Lima, Peru.

If the freakin' buses would only stop where they're supposed to instead of the right lane during rush hour, I don't see much wrong with it.

[Jim in Cancun]

hahahaha. Welcome back, John! You're not in Kansas anymore! It is a different world. I have adapted mostly. In spite of the crazy driving, you will hear fewer horns here--except for mine when someone in the right hand lane wants to cut in front of me and turn left and sticks his hand out to let me know he is going to cut in front of me. I honk, shake my finger at him in typical Mexican style that says, "No you aren't."

There is an old, not politically correct joke that says that the only time a Mexican is in a hurry is when he gets behind the wheel! Funny but not necessarily true as some drive slowly and in the passing lane especially if they are talking, gesturing to the person next to them or using the cell phone. Mostly drivers here pay no attention to others and are in their own world and horns are used infrequently as part the the general malaise of not knowing or caring what the rest of the world is doing around them.

Flashing lights seems to work on many but it has been known to get people shot too so use it sparingly. No one cares if you are in a hurry, only if they are. Hope you survive!

I am thinking how you would have answered this 5 years ago if some green newbie or wannabe had written the same--thinking and laughing.

[V]

I suppose the thing that surprises me is the chances the drivers take with close calls that could lead to fender-benders, which could run to the tens of thousands of pesos for repairs. I would never want to risk the expense or inconvenience of being involved in one, but many drivers don't seem to care about either, for some reason.

[johndish]

Jim,

I was thinking the same thing not so much how I would have answered it but, how did I last so long here and the reality is you do get used to it. I was so worn out and stressed out that I came to my hotel at the Courtyard by Marriott (hello has anyone ever given this hotel advice on signage and how to actually get people into the hotel?) and stayed in I felt like I had been shell shocked or something.


Steve I probably drove by you yesterday at Alexandre as I went to my old house and could not believe the amount of cars and could not believe the amount of cars in Alexandre last night there must have been a huge program.

The city has certainly grown towards Alamos. Does that make my house worth more even if things arent selling?

[Jim in Cancun]

I would think that, yes, your property is worth more since there has been a lot of growth in and towards that area. Of course not all of the "activity" in the Bonfil area is legal but that's another story!

As far as those "close calls and fender benders," it seems to me that I see very few of those or even real accidents compared to the fearful and dangerous driving habits here.

[Gringation]

I learned to drive in the south (Virginia) and everyone there was so incredibly polite on the road!

I'm with Tori... I never want to drive here because there are no rules, except for the "whoever is in front has right of way", as Steve pointed out.

I think the main problem is:

1. the lack of signage! No lanes drawn out, no arrows, different rules for every stoplight, etc. Merida has great signage and it's much easier to drive there.

2. the fact that they don't require any kind of test to hand out licenses. Anyone can just go into the DMV, take an eye exam and be handed a license. Many locals are unaware of the traffic laws. I was in the car with a friend once when she took a left turn from the right lane and crashed. She actually managed to convince the victim it was his fault because he had no idea who had right of way. I was stunned!

[rawkus]

...and add bus and taxi drivers whom all seem to believe that "the fastest one wins!". Also, laws don apply to these guys. If/when anything happens, the Sindicato will back them up, and those guys are more powerful than the mayor, lol.

Ps. Potholes just spices things up.

[mc1234]

Haha, the pot holes deft. do just spice things up, lol! I also don't think I would drive there for the reasons that everyone else wrote! I am curious though, have you all seen a lot of accidents in cancun, like major ones? Although the driving is crazy there, I have only ever witnessed one bigger accident in Cancun during my last trip which was 6 months.. I don't know where you are all from originally, but driving in my city is really bad. Although the people are more likely to follow certain rules like stopping, they speed like crazy here, cut you off if you don't go 20 or 30 above the posted maximum, etc. My city is one of the worst in Toronto to drive in.. the amount of accidents I see in one week is terrible! From major accidents that are just horrifying to see, to a car accident in the parking lot that ends up totaling three cars!! (how this happens, I do not know).. Interesting to say the least!

[ToriB]

I saw my first bad accident last week after 2 yrs and that was down near Tulum and it was a single are overturned on the side of the road. The other was in the HZ...truck towing a boat jack-kifed. No other car involved. Seen some fender benders, but nothing news worthy.

[Gringation]

mc1234: That is an interesting point... for all the terrible driving and lack of rules, I haven't seen a particularly large number of accidents in Cancun. Since it's mostly city driving, you rarely see more than a fender bender, and there aren't even so many of those.

The Bonfil highway toward the airport has seen its share of nasty accidents though (the area Steve was mentioning earlier) and as the highway continues down the Riviera Maya. That's a pretty scary area to drive.

[CancunCanuck]

I drive super defensively here, the lack of lanes, signs and etiquette make it interesting to say the least. The intersection in front of INM (Nader/Uxmal) is a terror and I know it, nobody obeys the stop sign there. I proceeded knowing that, saw a taxi screaming through it and could not avoid the collision, he creamed me.

But centro isn't what bothers me, it's the highway. I had a horrible accident happen right in front of me, a little Chevy ran into TWO pick ups, they all flipped over repeatedly and I hurt my ankle I had to slam on my brakes so hard to avoid the mess. The highway of death man, I avoid it at night at all costs and even still if I am going to Playa or Tulum I would rather take the bus than drive. A bit less convenient, but I feel safer.

[rawkus]

mc1234: Like Gringation says, its mostly city driving, which I assume would mean less speed.

The bad ones Ive seen have all been on the highway towards P Morelos/Playa.

My first fishing trip to Puerto Morelos(4 months after arriving here), was topped off with a pick-up that got hit when entering the highway from Puerto Morelos... I didnt see the bodies, but counted to 6 white blankets...

Which leads me to: On EVERY walk, bus ride, taxi ride etc. I see over packed vehicles, usually "granny" and the kids, sitting on the "cargo area"(dont know the proper term in English, sorry) on cheap plastic chairs. Same with the one that got smashed in Puerto Morelos. Ive also seen a family of 9(!!) coming out of a tiny Chevy... Scary.

[kellyfitz11]

I prefer not to drive here because of the craziness but I feel like I am used to how it is now and I´ve done my fair share of driving friends cards and rental cars. I´ve driven to Merida and back without a problem.

They definitely give licenses to ANYONE & most people drive and don´t even have licenses! The signs are definitely suggestions rather than law and that´s half the problem.

For these reasons I really debate ever having my car sent here from the states or buying one of my own. If you hit someone or get hit there is normally only an exchange of cash in the street and no talk of insurance. I am also mind boggled by those few mexicans who do drive super nice cars like hummers or escalades because I feel like it is only a matter of time until their car is vadalized or they get into an accident! crazy.

[mc1234]

Everyone has some really good points I deft. agree the highway would be a lot more dangerous since there is more speed and no rules lol, not a good combination. I think one part of driving in Cancun and Mexico in general really is its lack of laws for children to be in seatbelts, or safety seats.. That is deft. the scariest thing for me about driving in Cancun

[johndish]

and getting off topic the lack of clean public toilets in gas stations or convenience stores is disturbing.

I have definitely been swayed and wooed by the orderliness of living in the states.

[mormis]

i got ran over on my moped, and the bastie still says today: "dont forget you ran me over"

I come from mexico city... driving or better said: "trying to drive" around those bus and taxi drivers there teach you a thing or two, apparently, i didn't really learn much...

i had a friend that i took downtown a few years ago and he was impressed of how there are no lanes or people do not respect them... i had never noticed haha

I drive everyday from yaxchilan to huayacan on my little scooter and its almost always perfect, almost always

[Cancunscorpio]

I drove a lot in Cancun and area, all the way to Merida, Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Tulum etc. Never had any major problems or concerns. Yes, there are people who drive like crazy and try to sneak in or don't signal the lane change and stuff, but I'm used to that since the trafic in Russia or Ukraine is 20 times worse than in Mexico. And I mean 20 times..... Don't want to tell you horror stories and what I've seen on the roads myself....
The rule in Mexico is very simple:be confident, obey the rules of the road, wear a seatbelt, signal lane changes and be careful. I don't drive defensively, I don't drive offensively, I just drive so that I gets me from A to B..... But I CAN be agressive if so required :-)) Or defensive on the other hand:-))

For mc1234: The problem with driving in Canada and Toronto is the lack of proper driver's training and the popular belief among people that the car itself will take you from A to B with almost no need of a human control over it (just watch some TV commercials any given day for any new car), resulting in speeding and major accidents on the highways. I drive 120-130 km/h on all the 400-series highways and many cars just fly by me on the left (passing) lane.
Political correctness also plays a major role and I know several people of visible minority who did fail the road test, but had the examiner's decision overturned after a complaint to a supervisor with the claim that failure was a result of a bias towards people of color, especially if the examiner happened to be a white male of female.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by johndish

Steve I probably drove by you yesterday at Alexandre as I went to my old house and could not believe the amount of cars and could not believe the amount of cars in Alexandre last night there must have been a huge program.

Friday was the School Posada from 4 -9, must have been 500 people there. Absolute mayhem at around 2-2:30pm every day at picking up time too.

[T.J.]

How about the fact that there is nothing forcing drivers to have working brake lights and head lights? How many times have we had to slam on brakes to avoid some moron with no brake lights who decides to make a last second turn and hits his or her own breaks hard, giving us no visual warning.

Hey John, I have seen better and cleaner restrooms at the gas stations and the ones along the cuota to Merida too. Not sure I have ever seen restrooms IN as convenience store.

But you can go the restrooms at Plaza Las Americas Food Court and there are no paper towels, air dryers or toilet seats in the mens room, and it smells like a sewer.

[Gringation]

TJ: The ladies room at Plaza Las Americas food court also has no soap, no paper towels and no hand dryer (except for once, I think), which surprises me since they're newly remodeled! The stalls themselves are generally clean, but often missing toilet paper.

[TraceyUk]

Driving is a nightmare - partly due to the fact that police do not enforce the laws, the "driving test" is questionable and there are many unroadworthy cars on the road. My pet hate here though and it drives me to despair is people driving with kids in the front seat jumping all over the place. I know some people cannot afford car seats- I get it - but is it so hard to strap them in the back and make them sit down. ???

Driving back from Playa/P Morelos on a sunday has to be the most dangerous time/day to drive. Many drinks too many beers on the beach and race up the highway- its scary !
Be careful out there.

[pocodinero]

What about the mopeds with Mom, Dad, Child and infant on it? Any safety issues there? I see this "accident waiting to happen" all the time. I guess some people just want to get from point "A" to point "B" without thinking of the consequences.