loscabos
A Complete Guide to Driving in Cabo
Carol S. Billups
Some people are intimidated by the idea of driving in Mexico, but it’s really quite simple and fun as long as you know the local customs and try to adapt. So here’s your handy guide; follow these tips and you’ll be driving like a native in no time.
The first thing you’ll want to do is know who else is on the road with you. In Baja Sur our license plates are white with a stripe of color at the top and bottom. The color of the stripes tells you who’s driving the car. There are three possibilities:
Mexico’s traffic laws (stop laughing, we do have some) are actually very similar to the U.S. and Canada. For example, we drive on the right-hand side of the road. Unless we don’t feel like it. Or the right lane has more potholes. Then we drive on the left side of the road. If the car in front of you appears to be weaving check the license plate. If it falls into category 1 or 2 they’re doing the ‘pothole polka’. Try to follow the trail they are blazing, unless you see their bumper touch pavement (not everyone has the instincts of a sherpa). If it is a rental car the driver is just drunk.
The protocol for making a left or right hand turn is often confusing to new-comers. At some stoplights the lanes are set up so that you move to the far right to make a left-hand turn. Not all of them, mind you, only select intersections. It doesn’t make intuitive sense, but it does work and we’ve all come to enjoy it. If you are the first in line to make the left turn consider waiting until you see the through traffic (which you’ll be crossing in front of) are actually braking before pulling in front of them. Ignore the horns behind you… they’re just having grumpy-pants kind of day. A cheerful wave will lift their spirits as you zoom through the yellow arrow just in time. Left-hand turns from the right lane work so well that many drivers now prefer to make right-hand turns from the left lane. Although not officially sanctioned you might want to try it just to blend in. Do not use your turn signals as this takes all the fun out of surprising your fellow drivers.
Parking is at a premium in Cabo. In the rare event you see a place it is imperative to grab it immediately. There are many techniques for parallel parking: ignore them. Just shove the nose of your vehicle into the spot as far as it can go. The other drivers will just have to go around whatever part of the car is still sticking out into active traffic lanes. Don’t worry, they’re used to it. Speaking of which, if there is no parking space available and you happen to see an old friend you haven’t seen in a while it is perfectly permissible to just stop in place and have a chat. Don’t worry; the guy behind you doesn’t have anywhere to go, and if he does he’ll never find a parking place when he gets there anyway so he might as well wait for you.
The past year has added a new element of fun to driving in Cabo. In an effort to upgrade our image the city fathers contracted with the Par Vial company to re-do our main boulevards. Unfortunately, before awarding the contract they did not check to see if Par Vial had ever FINISHED something they started. The entire length of town has been torn up and traffic diverted. This has caused a number of streets to turn around (what had been one-way eastbound becomes one-way westbound overnight). The detours change nearly every night. Last week I was disappointed that my route from home to office only changed four times, but since the Governor visited to inspect progress this week I’m sure they’ll make a greater effort in the near future. In the meantime if you’re driving downtown and a car ahead of you begins making erratic direction shifts don’t bother checking the plate: whoever they are, they’re just confused.
By now you might, if you don’t have a great deal of experience here, think I’m making all this up. I’m not. This really is the way we drive. Amazingly, there are very few accidents in the urban areas. My husband swears we’re the best worst drivers in the world, because you almost never see a wreck around town! The highways are another story. Use extreme caution on the corridor, Mexico Route One, or any other freeway type road. There’s a reason they post ambulances at intervals between Cabo and San Jose at certain times of the day. For a more serious discussion of driving Baja from San Diego to Cabo on Mexico Route One follow this link: http://www.reloscabos.com/real-estate-articles-detail.php?art_id=13. Happy driving!
Carol Billups is a realtor/real estate broker who drives in Cabo every day and has lived to tell the tale.
© 2009 Carol S. Billups
