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fordmexico

Oct 6, 2011, 1:01 PM

Post #1 of 8 (1508 views)

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Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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from the "Economist", October 8, 2011

http://www.economist.com/node/21531484

"SIX out of ten road deaths worldwide take place in just 12 countries, one of which is Mexico. Dented doors and battered bumpers are backed up by official figures: every year some 24,000 people lose their lives on Mexico’s potholed roads"

(This post was edited by Rolly on Oct 6, 2011, 1:26 PM)

whynotwrite

Oct 6, 2011, 1:40 PM

Post #2 of 8 (1489 views)

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Re: [fordmexico] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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Typical Mexico bashing. Why not even list all the other 5 countries? Giving Peru a pass because of mountains, hardly any of those in Mexico. And Venezuela excuse is Chavez. What about the others? How about some comparisons to the safe countries? Oh No! That information is not relevant since the article was only to bad mouth Mexico about something else.

joaquinx

Oct 6, 2011, 3:43 PM

Post #3 of 8 (1465 views)

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Re: [whynotwrite] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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In Mexico’s case the main problem is the drivers.

It's not the potholes, narrow roads without side railing, nor anything about the road. It's the drivers. The article says that the solution is testing. That's far from the truth. It's the lack of enforcement of the driving laws. You can drive without a driver's license, without insurance, without a car inspection, run red lights, run stop signs, ignore speed limits and no one will stop you unless the police officer needs lunch. Years ago I got stopped without a license, without a visa and current import permit, expired inspection and plates. 20 pesos!

chinagringo

Oct 6, 2011, 4:06 PM

Post #4 of 8 (1458 views)

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Re: [joaquinx] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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Mexico's driving laws are merely suggestions or recommendation!

I still contend that Mexico has some of the best defensive drivers in the world.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

Vichil

Oct 8, 2011, 7:34 AM

Post #5 of 8 (1313 views)

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Re: [joaquinx] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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I totally agree, the lack of enforcement of existing laws is the problem. We used to have a similar problem in France when I was a kid. I saw more people hurt and dying than I can count. I used to have nighmare severy year before we took our vacation trip. The driving over the last 20 years has totally changed since the laws are now enforced. The fine are severe and you lose your driver´s license afer a few infractions, over the year the death toll went down and the driving became easier.

We have just finished a driving tour of Puebla and Vera Cruz State. Anyone thinking the drivers in Jalisco are bad should check out Vera Cruz. I have never seen so many rude maniacs on the road . Some of the roads were very good and some others full of large potholes without any warning. SOme of the holes were large enough to destroy a car or cause a major accident.

This will only change with enforcement of laws which does not seem to be the priority right now.

tonyburton

Oct 9, 2011, 7:48 AM

Post #6 of 8 (1210 views)

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Re: [fordmexico] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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You might also be interested in "Driving in Mexico: is it safe relative to other countries?":
http://geo-mexico.com/?p=4759:

whynotwrite

Oct 9, 2011, 1:28 PM

Post #7 of 8 (1160 views)

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Re: [tonyburton] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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Interesting. The US ranks 11th and Mexico 12th. I personally like Mexico better, if my license plate light happens to burn out it doesn´t cost me $100 usd and a mark on my insurance.

Reefhound

Oct 9, 2011, 2:12 PM

Post #8 of 8 (1146 views)

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Re: [whynotwrite] Road safety in Mexico - The lawless roads

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I don't know any state where equipment violations go on your driving record or count against insurance.