Driving in Mexico

During our first three years of living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Dolores and I became very proficient in the use of public transportation, buses and taxis, to get around and about.  Obviously this allowed us to become somewhat familiar with the layout and location of the streets; however, we were very limited in our flexibility to vary or change our destinations when we were “out and about.”  An example would be  when we shopped for our cooking classes we’d go north to SAM’s/Walmart complex by bus, then return home by taxi with our many purchases missing many items that could be found at other stores and vendors.  Additionally, we found ourselves limited to the close in local scene – not able to explore the world around us.  Finally we were presented with an opportunity to purchase a car by our then administrator.  His partner had passed away and he inherited a car even though he didn’t drive.  He offered the car to us at a good price, thus began our driving experience in Mexico.

Our biggest advantage in beginning this experience was that both Dolores and I can be classified as “aggressive” drivers.  I as a result of spending my earlier years competing successfully in car time-distance Rallies and other SPCA sport car events and Dolores by also being involved with sports cars and in rallies.  This made it easier to adapt to the Mexican driving environment.  The following tongue-in-cheek guide lines was published locally and in my opinion is a very good description of driving in PV.

“Puerto Vallarta driving tips (according to Harvey)

Taken from Puerto Vallarta Mirror - www.pvmcitypaper.com

1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Vallarta driver never uses them.

2. Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. Crossing two or more lanes in a single lane-change is considered going with the flow.

4. Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will inevitably result in you being rear-ended.

5. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it’s a chance to stretch your legs.

6. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It’s a good way to scare people entering the highway.

7. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as suggestions and are apparently not enforceable in Puerto Vallarta.

8. Please remember that there is no such thing as a shortcut during rush-hour traffic in Vallarta.”

Many of the more unusual and different moves  we refer to as “doing the Mexican.”   We are waiting until we’re able to import our car and get Mexican plates before we attempt to duplicate them.  Our favorites include 1) - cutting in front of the lead vehicle at an intersection.  Envision this: you are the first car waiting on a lateral at a stop light to turn left. A car on your right drives up beside you in the next lane and then pulls his/her car in front of you to turn left.  You are now car number 2 waiting to turn; or 2) – waiting several cars back at a stop light on an arterial to make a turn when several cars will pull out into the opposing lanes and make a run to be the first cars into the intersection to make the turn (always check your rear view mirror before your turn).  These are just two of many tricks that we call “doing the Mexican.”

The most important thing to remember while driving anywhere is keeping your mind on the task at hand.  In Mexico that becomes your number one concern.  We quickly learned to always expect the unexpected when behind the wheel of our automobile.  There actually is a yin and yang balance between being both aggressive and being passive while on the road.  Find it, and driving in Mexico becomes a fun experience.