Thank our lucky stars that driving in Mexico hasn't changed drastically in the last five years. Alto signs are still hexagonal and red, las rayas de carratera (highway paint striping) is just like in the USA and Canada. If anything highway signs and instructions continue to improve by leaps and bounds.
People who have obviously never driven one foot on a Méxican road or street wrote most of the negative articles that I've read about driving in México. México's traffic signals and laws are almost identical to our own laws and signals. Traffic Lights use the standard Green/Amber/Red configuration, cautionary signs are yellow and diamond shaped, and stop signs are (supposed to be) octagon with white lettering on a bright red background. Throughout the country it is legal to make a right turn after a stop (unless prohibited with a sign). In fact México has adopted many of the sign and signal formats that we are familiar with. Conformists by nature but individualists by heart, Mexicans aren't content enduring boring uniformity in their lives. As you read through this article it is hoped that you will get a sense of the exotic flavor of the country.
A Primary Rule
Never Do Anything Unexpected But Always Expect The Unexpected. The way I see it too many accidents occur between RV's and residents because the RV driver swerved, changed lanes, pulled out, or turned a corner without looking first. Méxican drivers seldom use turn signals themselves but they certainly understand their function. In México you must drive your RV in such a fashion that other drivers can predict your next move with some degree of certainty. Most city drivers are used to RV's. They expect RV's to lumber their way through town. Don't worry when impatient motorists roar around you either, because on the open highway the same drivers do the same thing when passing a bus doing eighty miles per hour. If you're swinging wide at a corner in order to make a right turn and a tiny sedan squeezes it's way up the curb alongside, have your co-pilot hang out the window and point which direction you intend to go. Make them back up before you turn. Mexicans love to crowd two cars abreast per lane. Again: Drive in a predictable fashion. Use turn signals. If you wish to change lanes or turn across traffic in bumper-to-bumper traffic cut you wheels over hard when stopped and make little surging motions with accelerator and brake. Méxican drivers are about as courteous as California drivers (not necessarily a compliment).
Méxican Roads
México is criss-crossed by an extensive network of paved primary highways and secondary arterial roads. The country embarked on a dizzying road building campaign in the early and mid nineteen nineties. The result of that effort was the construction of some ten thousand miles of toll roads. Few maps accurately depict all of the newer highways, but in one instance (with the exception of the immediate area surrounding México City) it is now possible to remain on multi-lane expressways from the Texas border all the way to Acapúlco. On the Pacific coast, multi-lane expressways now whisk the traveler from the international border at Nogáles, to Rosario, some fifty miles south of Mazatlan.
The average two-lane road in México is clogged with diesel trucks, busses, and passenger cars. Most Méxican roads lack adequate shoulders and many miles of them have steep drop-offs where pavement meets dirt. Depending on the state in which you live you can count on two-lane roads being narrower than what you are used to. Older roads are the narrowest, with the transpeninsular Bája highway being the queen of the slim roadways. Lane widths throughout the country vary from about ten feet to sixteen feet.
Many existing four-lane highways were converted to tollways in the early and mid-nineties. The older four lane roads have narrower lanes than our interstates. Highways built in the eighties and nineties have wider lanes and at least some degree of shoulder. Even drivers new to México find driving on the toll roads a piece of cake.
Road surfaces (as compared to equivalent highways in the US). México does not employ the same construction techniques when constructing or maintaining their highways. Surfaces are usually rougher than roads north of the border. The really big issue of proper drainage is still insufficiently dealt with even on toll roads, so beware in wet weather.
Toll Roads
The "proper" title for expressway is "autopísta" but Mexicans just call them "Cuotas" (tolls). Most of the newer toll roads are patterned after freeways in the United States. Cuts were made through mountains, huge bridges were built to span arroyos, and grades were moderated by routing the road around severe mountains. Access is quite limited primarily because the toll road operators don't want drivers to use part of the system without paying. Road surfaces have remained in good shape because a great majority of México's motoring public cannot afford the high fees to use them (Luxury buses are an exception). Government owned toll roads are more reasonable than private toll roads. RVs pay the same rate, axle-for-axle as diesel semi-trucks. A three-axle motorhome towing a dinghy, will pay two fees: The first toll, for a two-axle motorhome, will be nearly double that of an automobile. The second will be full-fare for the dinghy. Camper pickups pay the auto rate; pickups with more than two axles (towing) will pay the equivalent diesel truck rate. The difference can be appreciable; a section that costs the driver of an automobile ten dollars can cost the RV'er (towing a dinghy) twenty-five. To temper indignation over the high fees, you may wish to consider the following: In exchange for paying an eighty-dollar surcharge (towing a dinghy) from the border to Mazatlán, the tollways save two days of travel time. Besides saving time, two night's RV park fees are saved, along with thirty to forty percent on gasoline. The regular highway passes through every city and town, winds up and down every small hill, and is choked with derelict trucks and busses. Toll roads on the other hand are virtually empty of traffic.
WHY DON'T TOLL ROAD OPERATORS LOWER THE COST OF MULTI-AXLE R.V. TOLLS?
The passing of a single overloaded cargo truck is equal to several hundred automobiles as far as highway wear and tear is concerned. I have followed incredibly overloaded flatbed diesels that had as cargo more than one hundred tons of steel reinforcing rod. Toll roads don't have truck scales, so they price the cost of tolls for trucks (and RV's) is set to be as high as seventy dollars per toll section.
If Mexico were to enforce legislation deeming extraneous vehicles as "exempt" from multi-axle tariffs, how could it be done, let a 45 foot motorhome through at car tariff, yet penalize poor Pedro the farmer in his 1959 Ford flatbed? Mexicans are extremely sensitive about not being exactly wealthy. The thought of allowing wealtheir neighbors to skate for far less would bring about crowds of protestors blocking toll booths.
Highway Signs
Caution signs (sharp curve, steep hill, and town near) are conventional diamond-shaped yellow signs. Stops signs are supposed to be shaped and colored like US signs (bright red, white letters on an octagon plate) but in rural areas, you may find faded and peeling " ALTO" hand painted on an almost-red lid of a fifty-five gallon drum, tacked to a tree (up in the branches). Gasoline station "Distance To" advisories are posted on the outskirts of town advising motorists of the number of kilometers until the next station (but no guarantee that it has gas). White on blue (international symbol) signs announces services such as restaurants, mechanics, and hospitals. Legends explaining international symbol signs are found in most travel publications and highway maps of México. Most are self-explanatory but text-only signs should be studied and memorized before you depart. " Ceda El Paso" may make no sense in Denver, but in México, recognition of "Yield Right Of Way" is of the utmost importance.
No Rebase
No passing. When paint stripes (rayas) are evident a dotted centerline indicates that the paint crew believes that it would be O.K. to pass on this stretch of highway. A solid line (raya continuoso) indicates no passing allowed in one or both directions. Liberal interpretation is needed here; if you have crested a hill for instance and ahead of you is straight and clear then the solid no-passing centerline is for the benefit of traffic going the other way.
Curva Peligrosa
"Dangerous Curve". You may see other worse curves before and after this, but someone got hurt or killed to "warrant" the dangerous curve sign. Most signed curvas peligrosas are indeed severe enough to warrant extra caution.
Poblano Proximo
Town Near. You can bet your last enchilada that you are going to have to reduce your speed when you see one of these signs. I purposely mis-define the sign to read "Tope Near". This slows me way down and I start scouring the road ahead for a telltale perpendicular mark.
Ceda El Paso
Yield right-of-way. The signs are of triangular shape, red, and black on white. Occasionally you will encounter obstacles on city boulevards known as gloriettas. A glorietta can range from fifty feet in diameter to a piece of land with a hundred-foot statue set on it. In all cases traffic flow revolves Counter-Clockwise around the glorietta (The same rule holds true for plazas and village squares). Most gloriettas these days have modern traffic lights, but others are freewheeling bumper tag arenas. If you get flustered as to which street you need to take (they radiate away from the monument like spokes on a wheel) proceed slowly. Even if you make a faux pas offended drivers will swirl around you without incident. Note: I always assume that the other driver has the right of way (especially in a Glorietta).
Encruzamiento de Ferrocarrilles
Most railroad crossings today are marked with a familiar "wig wag" or X shaped sign. Traffic is supposed to come to a full stop at railroad crossings. After a marked decline in the fate of the Méxican railroad system in the last few years more and more drivers are ignoring this law (a cop can still write a fat ticket for doing so). I always stop just to play it safe.
Vado
Vados are dry washes that cross the road. The usual indicator is an International Pictorial Sign (yellow diamond) with a bunch of squiggly lines crossing a highway. Vados can fill with flood water from a distant storm in a matter of minutes. Unless you are dead sure (a perfect choice of words) that you can make it across a flooded vado, wait until an impatient diesel semi truck blazes a trail. Keep in mind that that roar of muddy water could have undercut the asphalt and dug a ten foot deep channel.
Cuesta Peligrosa
Interpret this as "Dangerous Grade". Steep grades are sometimes pictorially signed with a diamond yellow sign showing a car going up (or down) hill. Dangerous grades have claimed multiple lives over the years (one is aptly named "Lucifer's Grade"). I always test my trailer's brakes before going over the crest. Going uphill, anticipate running up on a truck doing three miles per hour (usually well hidden around the next blind curve).
Un Sentido
One Way Street (Always accompanied by an arrow, sometimes said as Solo Sentido). Doble Sentido means "Two Way Street" and is a sure indication that a one way street is nearby (like the next block).
Desviacion
Detour.
Alto
When driving through an unfamiliar town I always anticipate that the upcoming unmarked intersection will be missing its stop sign. Sometimes vandals steal them, accidents bend them edgewise, or perhaps the road crew borrowed it for a couple of weeks. Sure clues of an intersection to stop at are: a stop sign for oncoming traffic or pronounced skid marks (or shards of broken glass)on the pavement. Regardless if there is a sign or not, I treat all intersections with extra caution. Trucks and buses love to park where they block a stop sign from view. Méxican drivers are notorious Stop Sign runners. Some of them engage in a low-speed, rolling "Hollywood Stop" while others charge through at high speed. Note: An Alto sign with a small added sign underneath that says Alto Total tells drivers that if they don't stop they risk even a larger fine if caught (there is usually a cop parked nearby). Alto Total usually signs a frantic intersection. Stop signs in small towns can be the color of the arrow (one way cross street) Black for caution and red for Stop.
Salida
Exit
Ganado
Ganado in Spanish means cattle. Méxican cattle roam freely over the range and onto the road. Observing the frequency of skid marks found on an otherwise open and lightly-traveled highway will provide a sobering realization of the frequency of hits and near misses. Many diesel big-rigs have heavy anti-collision pipe fixtures welded onto the front bumper. Diamond shaped yellow signs with the black silhouette of a horned steer on them are to be taken seriously. I'll drive an otherwise empty stretch of highway at no more than twenty-five miles per hour if cattle are frequently seen on the shoulder. I realize that standing cattle can't accelerate fast enough to jump right in my path. However I'm concerned with the steer that's on a dead run that's about to emerge from behind a mesquite tree a few car lengths ahead.
Traffic Signal Lights
Compared to signals north of the border Méxican traffic lights are quite dim. Some lights have missing reflectors and tubes, too many suffer burned-out bulbs, or a recent windstorm may have twisted the fixture so that the lights shine in the window of a corner grocery. Very few intersections have multiple fixtures that act as a backup in case one bulb fails.
A red light will come on suddenly after a too-brief amber signal. Some towns have signals that flash the green light several times before switching to a brief steady amber signal (this is a cue for Méxican drivers to floorboard the gas pedal). Espere para flecha verde means "wait for the green arrow" in urban left turn lanes.
Speed Bumps Everywhere Topes cause more rig damage than any other reason
They are found everywhere in México. Speed bumps can range from rippled concrete, to veritable asphalt barrows. Really big bumps must be approached by first coming to a complete stop, then easing the rig (and towed vehicle over them one axle at a time). Known as " Topes" (TOW-pays) Méxican speed bumps are placed to slow-down speeding trucks and busses in congested urban and suburban areas. Few solitary topes are encountered, so beware of successive speed bumps. I consider them a hazard like low flying buzzards, or straying burros. For most drivers it takes a scare encounter with an unexpected tope to leave a lasting impression. Look for signs depicting a car mounting a speed bump and or the word TOPE. Most rural highways will have a tope if you see a house or two.
Few Pullouts
No the highway department isn't being inconsiderate. Decades ago, the government learned that if it bulldozed a clearing alongside the highway it wouldn't be long before a tire shop or basic shanty restaurant popped up soon afterward. Shady wide spots do exist and most are safe to take lunch at. Use discretion on really busy highways however. Toll roads always provide convenient areas to park immediately after the tollbooth. Most have reasonably clean restrooms (take toilet paper). This is an excellent and very safe and quiet area to rest and even catch forty winks (very few Méxican trucks).
Those Wacky Rural Signs
It is not unusual in the countryside to be driving along a lonely road only to suddenly encounter a pair of alternating flashing red and amber lights stacked on a pole alongside the road. Jamming on the brake pedal you look for a road junction, schoolyard, or crosswalk. Nothing greets the eye or ear except miles of empty highway and the whistling wind.
On the shoulder of a ruler-straight section of roadway, you spot a regulation stop sign. You hit the brakes and peer through the windshield. Nada. Two hundred yards further down the road is another and two hundred yards further, yet another. Finally you come to a T-intersection and the last of four regulation stop signs.
On a truck clogged two-lane road your partner suddenly yells, "There's the sign for the turnoff!" You brake madly while nervously glancing in the rear view mirror. Deep ditches line both sides of the road. A quarter-mile later, an identical sign complete with arrow -- but there isn't even a burro track to be seen. A third sign leaves you muttering under your breath. You're starting to steam by the time you cruise by the fourth sign but suddenly you spot the side road. You're so relieved to be rid of a tailgating bus after your turn that you almost forget about being so aggravated about the three duplicate (advisory) signs.
Road Striping
Uniform standards are being applied but the process is slow. Some areas have amber centerline striping with white shoulder stripes while others use white for the centerline and yellow for the shoulders. Lane delineation stripes will sometimes lead the unwary into an oncoming lane or onto someone's front lawn. I'll never forget the time when I encountered an otherwise perfect centerline stripe that suddenly drizzled onto the shoulder. There the paint crew sat eating lunch. They had forgotten to shut off the machine. Just after dawn in the state of Veracrúz, I rounded a curve to find a dazzling string of blue reflectors marking the centerline before me. The rising sun had lit the epoxied cubes like an eye-popping sapphire necklace.
Urban Signs
Routing signs are much more common today than they were ten years ago. It is not unusual to encounter a trail of signs that lead you effortlessly through an urban area to rejoin the highway on the other side of the city. Then again many cities and town mark cross streets with a tiny bronze plaque set onto a wall on a building located on the far corner of an intersection (A co-pilot with binoculars would be an asset). Overhead signs on freeways may be inconveniently placed slightly after the designated turnoff. It's necessary to remain vigilant. Speed limit signs are in Kilometers per hour, but from the way the locals are driving you'd swear that they interpret the signs to read Kilometers Per Minute. Parking signs and traffic flow direction signs can be baffling to the uninitiated. It pays to study "Méxican Signology" before leaving home. Of the minority of RV'ers who encounter a glaring traffic cop, most are for driving the wrong-way on a (clearly marked) one-way street.
Estacionamiento
This is a great word to practice the pronunciation of español vowels. Es-stah-see-yawn-ah-me-en-toh. Try saying it a few times. When you see it or a large "E" near a parking lot, or space, you'll remember what it stands for (parking). A sign with a large E surrounded by a red circle with a diagonal slash means No Parking. Look closely at parking signs and you might see small numbers indicting total parking hours permitted or the time of day that parking is permitted.
Parking In México
Méxican stores allot much less space for parking than do similar size US stores. Only an optimist would drive a motorhome or pickup with 5th wheel to go "grocery shopping". Parking spaces are for cars and are tight. Aisles leave scant room for turning and maneuvering of compact cars let alone an RV. I've learned to use México's wonderful public transit system, hauling my groceries home in two sewn canvas shopping bags.
School Zones
Penalties for school-zone speeding are dramatic in the US, and our neighbor generally agrees with the strict policy. Neighborhood pressure can increase to the point where a cop has to cite a speeding RV'er regardless if the driver spotted (or intended to obey) a nearby speed limit sign. For whatever reason the American (or Canadian) may come away with the impression that they have been "ripped-off". My sympathies lie with the school children. Schools look like schools in México and to recklessly speed by one borders on arrogance as far as a cop is concerned.
Méxican Drivers
Many drivers are polite and they drive in a cautious manner. But good percentage drive like adolescents --too fast for conditions. According to recently released statistics México's accident rate is six times higher per hundred thousand miles than it is in the US. Most accidents happen after dark, and many involve drinking drivers. In fact a large majority of accidents happen between two drivers that are both driving unsafely.
As you will probably experience at the border entering México, drivers crowd, and jostle for position when queuing in front of traffic signals, toll booths, and lane merging zones. They aren't raging maniacs but opportunists who will instantly wedge into a opening barely bigger than their car if they feel that doing so will give them an advantage.
Méxican truck drivers love the pulsing throb of an unmuffled four hundred horsepower diesel engine. Many trucks and buses have straight exhaust pipes. The racket that some of them produce will make you wish that your overnight campground was miles further from the highway. The shattering roar from a bus as it flashes past your open side window can make you more awake than you've been in years. Trucks with engine exhaust brakes allow the driver to emit various chords of racket -- occasionally you'll hear "Shave And A Haircut, Go Team Go" and other melodious emissions. Mexicans use their horns as a form of audible telegraph -- a pretty señorita walking by a street full of macho truck drivers for instance, will encourage various salutations of wolf-whistles, roars and screeches.
Rather than waste their turn signals on frivolous issues (like signaling for a turn) Méxican drivers advise following traffic when they think it's safe for you to pass them. The signal is a steady blinking left turn signal. When offered this courtesy I proceed to inspect the oncoming lane thoroughly despite what the other driver thinks is "adequate passing room". This occurs on the open highway. In developed areas and or if brake lights are seen, prepare to brake because the left turn signal is being used for its original intended purpose. No matter if you have nine lamps flashing, ALWAYS look before merging or turning left.
Méxican Buses
Automobiles are an expensive luxury for most Mexicans. The county's bus system is gargantuan and well developed. On the open highway buses tend to run flat-out, then slam on the brakes for a fare waiting on the side of the road. If you're unlucky enough to be caught in this situation, you'll end up playing tag numerous times. To me this would be a good time to take a rest break. Bus drivers love to tailgate, then pass at the first skimpy opportunity. On the open highway I always keep a watch on my rear view mirror to prevent being startled by the sudden appearance of a bus alongside. Note: Méxican intra-city buses frequently have restrooms aboard which need to be emptied. I have followed numerous buses to their city terminals in order to empty my holding tanks (for a modest fee of course).
Emergency Signals
Approaching cars that flash their headlights are warning of imminent danger ahead. The danger night be a collapsed bridge, a romantic bull dallying on the centerline or a stalled (or overturned) big-rig. I consider it an obligation to pass the message along in turn. The impromptu early warning system has saved countless lives and spared thousand of injuries.
Traffic Warning Methods
On rural roads a person waving an article of clothing at you is a sure sign that a stalled car or truck lies around the next blind curve. I've seen a row of beer bottles, several bucket sized rocks, and a derelict armchair used to warn oncoming traffic. Any foreign object in the road (even an exploded muffler) must be treated as a warning of a dangerous obstacle ahead.
Reconnoiter
México is an old country. Many towns were founded and expanded when horse drawn buggies and wagons ruled the roads. A wide street can become incredibly narrow and crooked in a matter of a few blocks. Bypass ring roads (called Perifericos) encourage drivers to avoid city center areas (signed Centro). Before you try to jam your thirty-foot motorhome through a fifteen-foot intersection, explore the town or village Centro on foot. Of course if you follow a bus or large truck you shouldn't have any problem.
Driving At Night
Let me start with a sobering statistic: Studies have shown that ninety percent of the fatal accidents in México occur between dusk and dawn. Drinking drivers are found on the road. All of the obstacles and hazards that challenge your daytime driving skills will be there but you won't see them as well. Méxican road striping paint does not reflect in your headlights very well and the paint is used sparingly. Streetlights are sparse or non-existent. Pedestrians love to walk on the pavement. Méxican jalopies are infamous for having no lights or blazing high beams that do not dim for oncoming traffic. Fences are uncommon and cattle congregate on warm asphalt. Caution signs are difficult to read. Driving at night in México is best left to those drivers who have an unshakable belief in their immortality. Note: With reasonable care driving on toll roads can be quite enjoyable at night. Remember though, eventually you're going to have to negotiate your way through a "mine field" to get to your destination. Don't wait until you are forced to drive at night to learn that you don't have good enough eye sight or response time. Try a bit of evening driving close to home. Myself I have chosen to not risk my life.
Highway Bandits
Many years ago I decided to inquire about "highway bandits" at a convenient roadblock checkpoint. After the police and army gave my automobile a brief search, I asked the police commander about banditos. He grunted. "Some delinquentes (petty criminals) think that they can stop people in the middle of the night on a lonely stretch of road and take their money. This is unusual now because we and the army like to find these criminals and (he made a slashing motion across his throat with his finger)". Bandits are an endangered species these days. In the last ten years the government has beefed-up patrols on major roads. Daylight driving completely eliminates the bandit's favored environment. Unless you travel extensively at night on backcountry roads the chances of meeting a bandito are almost nil. In almost two hundred thousand miles I have never encountered a single bandit (I must be unlucky). In non-tourist areas in rural southern Mexico, inidan bus passengers started attacking bus hijackers
A Tow Truck With Red Lights
To highly organized color-code-conscious American eyes the Méxican visual driving scene is something akin to a Christmas tree. Diesel trucks flash by with strings of multi-colored marker lights. Tow trucks amble down the road flashing blue and red overhead lights. Interpret these warning lights with a grain of salt. Cop cars, fire engines and ambulances are unmistakable in appearance. The rules governing their right-of-way is exactly the same as in the US.
Short Driving Days
Plan on driving no more than five or six hours a day. I allow an hour for lunch, and three twenty-minute rest stops. Sometimes I wait until I'm caught in a long queue of traffic behind a slow truck. I'll pull over at the next opportunity and maybe when I resume driving the road will be empty (what a dreamer). Big-rig drivers will pull over for a two to three hour siesta. The hour varies with the region, but I always try to time it so mountain passes, steep grades and other critical stretches are dealt with "minus the diesel semi's".
Military And Police Check Points
México uses its Army and Navy as "National Police". Occasional checkpoints (called retenés) are encountered. They are looking for narcotics and illegal firearms. Some brand-new tourists fret when they encounter "Teenage kids carrying machine guns". Relax -- those kids are the same ages as our uniformed teenagers who are carrying rocket launchers in Kosovo and they too are professional soldiers. México isn't Kosovo however nor is it a banana republic. The kids have to maintain an image of " Macho" by wearing stern expressions. In truth they are young men separated from their families by thousands of miles (they are never stationed close to home). In the "unseen" war on drugs in México, these young men are risking their lives in remote areas when you are safely tucked in your bed at night. After a brief look around inside my RV, they wave me to proceed. I always have a fresh roll of toilet paper, some canned sodas, and perhaps an old flashlight or two to give away at these retenés. If I camp in an area that requires me to pass repeatedly through a particular reten I make it a point to introduce myself to the various crew shifts.
An aside: Several years ago I met the teniente (Lieutenant in-charge of a battalion) through a mutual friend. After learning that I was an RV electrical mechanic he all but begged me to fix some inoperative power windows in an old but treasured personal sedan. The fix was simple and easy but in the process of coming and going onto the tiny "base" I managed to meet and befriend many of the soldiers stationed there. Later, I moved several miles away to a popular camping beach. It was not long after that than my new neighbor invited me to chauffeur him and his wife to a distant village in his new Dodge Diesel pickup truck. Soon we were sailing down the highway until we came upon a reten staffed by some of the now-familiar soldiers. The main traffic director (A corporal by the name of Manuél) came to a vertebrae-clicking state of attention, saluted me with board straight fingers, and waved for me to proceed without being inspected. I chuckled with amusement and drove away. I lost myself again in the delight of driving the powerful truck. A few minutes later I sensed a palpable silence inside the cab. I looked over at Mike. His glare could have melted an iceberg. "Would you mind telling me what that was all about" His suspicion bordered on the level given to a suspected Russian spy. "I, er, that is to say, I sort of know those guys". It took several weeks before he and his wife came to trust me again. Manuel on the other hand rolled on the ground in a fit of laughter when told the story a few weeks later.
Gasoline Stations Signs
There is only one brand to choose from (Pemex) and prices are uniform throughout the country. Stations are not referred to as "Estacions de Pemex" by the way. The are called Gasolinerias (gah-so-leen-AHR-ee-ahs). Overhead signs are white on Green. Underneath the logo are additional color-coded signs depending on of the stations sells other fuel besides regular unleaded Magna Sin. A Black sign announces the presence of Diesel fuel, while a red sign indicates that Premium unleaded is available. Don't bother looking for the price, which is available only on the pump. Pemex is a government monopoly -- they don't need to entice customers.
The Green Angels
"Los Angeles Verdes"
The federal government maintains a fleet of thousands of bright green service trucks with mechanics aboard to assist motorists who encounter mechanical difficulty on the road. The trucks have a full width light bar with GREEN lights atop the cab. Each truck is assigned a route which is supposed to be covered twice a day. In tourist areas and along tourist corridors one or both of the mechanics frequently speak English. Their services are free of charge but motorists are expected to pay for oil, gasoline, and parts. Their services are limited to minor repairs, changing of flat tires, or jury-rigging a repair in order to render a vehicle capable of making it to a shop under it's own power. Because mechanical repair is their forte, Green Angels are a gold mine of information about surrounding repair facilities and the abilities (or limitations) of their mechanics. Each truck has a communications radio that can summon a tow truck or alert the local hospital of an emergency. Green Angels will stop for vehicles that are parked on the shoulder with their hood raised. Green Angels crews are well aware of (and thankful for) the generous gratitude shown by grateful RV drivers over the years. A tip to a Green Angel isn't a bribe. After they soil their clothes and strain their back muscles changing a heavy flat tire for me, I always insist that they accept a modest banknote. In addition I'll supply them with ice-cold soft drinks and sandwiches while they work (Several years ago a mechanic remarked that " Angeles Verdes in the United States must be treated very well -- it shows"). I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. Indeed, let me state a long-held opinion:
"Far and away, I would rather suffer a mechanical breakdown in México rather than one far from home in the United States. People are friendlier; repair shops will let me "camp out" while repairs are done. México is jammed-packed with interesting stuff to do (virtually on every city block and in every small village). I find that soon afterward, the "stress" of the problem has dissipated while fond memories of side-events and people retain a warm glow". Try as I might I have never stumbled across the mythical RV graveyard in México where disabled rigs were eventually towed to because of a lack of repair parts.
Apples And Naranjas (oranges)
Dash any thoughts of avoiding México because the preceding driving descriptions bother you. Driving in rush hour traffic on any US highway is more stressful than on the average road in México. The seven-hundred mile distance for instance between Nogáles and Mazatlán is just about like driving from Red Bluff, California to San Diego (avoiding Los Angeles). Wide open toll roads lead from a half-dozen ports of entry deep into México's interior. They aren't cheap to use, but you can make up for it by nesting at a free campsite beneath swaying coconut palms next to the ocean. Remember that if you stay home, I'll take your spot!
Editor's Note: Our thanks to David Eidell for this outstanding and updated contribution to RVers everywhere who look forward to RVing in Mexico. David's insights are derived from years of extended RV travels in Mexico, and we appreciate his sharing his expertise with us.
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