Is Mexico Safe?
If you’re thinking about a road trip or RV travel through Mexico, you’re no doubt wondering: is Mexico safe? If you’ve already done some digging, you’re probably having trouble finding a satisfactory answer. Just like driving a car on the interstate, skydiving or towing a 3000lb teardrop camper, the answer is neither a full-throated “yes,” nor is it a “no.” It’s a “yeah, mostly.”
Risk assessment is difficult in Mexico and most of the guidance out there isn’t helpful or particularly accurate. There are two primary camps: 1) If you drive through Mexico you’ll die, or 2) Mexico is safer than the US, don’t be a xenophobe. If someone uses either of these lines, you can ignore anything else they have to say.
Many blogs and guidebooks trying to find middle ground will tell you that you’ll be safe so long as you follow some simple rules like “don’t drive at night” and “follow State Department guidelines” and “stay in touristy areas.” Which is great if you’re looking for advice on a spectrum of Vague to Impossible.
So… Is Mexico Safe?
Drumroll….yeah, mostly.
You’re Not Alone
We recently met some newbie RVers in California. When we told them that we spent 3 months in Mexico they said “Oh, we’re scared to drive in Mexico” to which we replied “Yeah, everyone is.”
And then you get down to a beachside campground in Celestino and meet 76-year-old Adele from Alberta. She’s been driving her Class C down through Mexico, completely solo save for her cat, for 30 years.
Here you thought you were some kind of pioneer when 50,000 Canadian snowbirds do this trip every December. They don’t mind that people are scared because it means more beachfront and cheap ceviche for them.
The fact is that there is nothing in the world like camping alone on a pristine tropical beach. Or exploring the colonial churches of Spaniard settlers next to ruins of ancient Mayan civilizations. A road trip through Mexico has its risks and is still totally worth it.
In an attempt to answer “Is Mexico Safe?” we think it’s important to talk openly about the risks. Read on to see what we mean and for advice on how to mitigate the weird stuff.
Bottom line: if you go down to Mexico without feeling at least a little uneasy you’re not paying attention. On the other hand, if you’re not comfortable with a certain amount of unknowing for the sake of adventure, then Mexico might not be for you.
Crime in Mexico
Quick summary:
You are exceedingly unlikely to be a victim of a crime in Mexico and even less so in Baja. If you are the victim of a crime, it will most likely be corruption at the hands of local police. Being somewhat nervous, careful and having good sources of information just makes sense.
60 million tourists visited Mexico in 2022 with very few incidents. So why does it have a reputation for being unsafe? Mostly it comes down to a handful of random and highly publicized violent crimes perpetrated by cartels. These things do happen and at a greater rate than in the US or Canada; they’re exceedingly unlikely to happen to you.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
I read a helpful article by a risk analyst who advises businesses and governments on the question “is Mexico safe.” His assessment of the underlying concern: unpredictable acts of violence. Basically, wrong place, wrong time. This is possible, unavoidable and still unlikely to pose a risk to you.
The liberal or Canadian in you might say: but what about mass shootings in the U.S.? Fair, but whataboutisms don’t help you make a travel plan. Moreover, criminal organizations do not exercise control over large portions of the US and Canada.
Much of the violent crime we’re talking about here is cartel-related. But harming foreigners is bad for business and the criminal elements in Mexico know it. They are proactively trying to keep you out of it. Although you may find your travel plans inconvenienced, staying on the well-trod tourist path is the best way to minimize wrong place, wrong time risk.
Our Story:
On day 3 of our Mexico road trip, we drove from our campground at the beach into Culiacan to grab dinner and find a hardware store. On day 6 we were a bit further south when the Mexican government captured one of El Chapo’s sons. The cartel started shooting at military tanks in Culiacan and setting fire to semis on the highway. We had just gotten off the interstate toll road when authorities shut it down north of us – A.K.A. the way out of Mexico – for a couple days.
A few days later, now further south, we get stuck in an anti-police roadblock protest in Tecoman for 4.5 hours (literally stuck because the road was too narrow to turn around with the trailer). Lincoln walks up to see what’s going on and when he comes back the guys in the trucks around us ask him “Do they have signs? Or guns?” We now realize that these two events are likely related.
While we know this sounds insane and a little surreal, it somehow didn’t feel unsafe. Even the travelers who came down behind us (and who got stuck in that mess) didn’t feel particularly at risk.
State Department Advisories
You really have to take State Department advisories with a grain of salt and understand their basis. While they might appear to describe actual risk in a particular region, the principal reason for these advisories is not an answer to “is Mexico safe?” It’s more to let you know that the US State Department has less influence and ability to help US citizens in these areas. So, while you can’t entirely ignore them, the advisories are too broad to be helpful for planning purposes.
If the State Department rated domestic travel, you’d better believe they’d advise you, at a minimum, to reconsider travel to many of these united states. Imagine being told to “exercise extreme caution” when traveling to California due to crime in parts of LA. And how helpful you’d find that guidance for planning a trip to Lake Tahoe? This is the level of precision at which the State Department issues these advisories and how meaningful we found them.
That said, they have a nice visual heat map of the world and their advisories for countries and states. Note that most of Europe is yellow at the time of publishing. Egypt is striped orange, even though tourists are visiting the Giza Pyramids by the millions each year.
Staying Informed
In our experience, far better than the State Dept Advisories is real-time information on the ground from fellow travelers. We stayed informed by joining a handful of really helpful facebook groups. Our Mexico Road Trip Resource Guide lists all of them.
We didn’t avoid any particular state in Mexico due to advisories, but we did less exploring in the hot zones. If you’re road tripping through Mexico, you are going to want to drive through Sinaloa, staying on the toll roads and enjoying the Pacific Coast. Our advice is to follow the well-trod path and camp in private campgrounds with all of the other road trippers.
I want to note here that plenty of people head down to Mexico in a state of blissful ignorance and do just fine. But if you go down without doing any research, you’re more likely to be caught off guard. We both tend towards wanting all the information we can gather.
Van/RV Security and Theft
You might be concerned that you’re making yourself a target for theft by driving an RV or nice car into Mexico. In our experience that wasn’t an issue. We quickly realized that small travel trailers like ours are dwarfed by million-dollar Class-A buses hauling expensive trucks and SUVs. But even they seemed pretty safe and completely unconcerned in the campgrounds.
In mainland Mexico we stayed mostly at established campgrounds and felt very safe and secure. Think high walls and security personnel. These campgrounds tend to be about $20 USD per night and well worth it for the security and amenities.
In Baja we mostly boondocked on the beaches and arroyos, either for free or with a very unofficial and modest fee collector. In these situations, we employed the same level of security that we would in the U.S.: a wheel lock, hitch lock, cable locking the few items we leave out and relying on neighbors to keep an eye. We heard that break-ins may be up this year in Baja, but it’s not at all clear that they exceed anything you might expect on a public beach in the US.
Don’t wander up that mountain trail
Mexico’s countryside is truly extraordinary. We spent a lot of time enjoying areas that, if they were in the United States, would enjoy public and protected status. If you are anything like us, you may be tempted to see if you can identify a dirt track or trail and start exploring.
Don’t. Sadly, cartels and the illicit drug trade dominate large swaths of Mexico’s economy and geography. And these are not well-defined from a traveler’s standpoint. Wandering in remote areas carries substantial risk that you’ll stumble upon something you shouldn’t (read: drugs), and you could find yourself in a bad spot.
This was one of the more disheartening aspects of travel in Mexico for us, especially when contrasted with the ubiquity of free wandering public lands in the U.S. So much beauty and potential just out of reach.
Police Corruption in Mexico
Quick takeaways:
1) Police corruption happens, so make a plan and avoid law-breaking
2) If it’s a legitimate traffic stop, know the process.
3) At a traffic stop, you DO NOT speak Spanish (even if you do)
4) Sometimes it’s just easier to pay that bribe. . .
5) Be ready to video your interactions with police
6) Hide your cash and travel with a small amount in a fake wallet
First: It’s important to note the difference between federal police, national guard or military (Federales) and municipal police.
Federales are the officials you’ll usually meet at a checkpoint. They’re looking out for contraband but are mostly pleasant to deal with. You get the sense that they exist to make foreigners feel safer – especially in Baja. It’s legal to video any searches you encounter but you should be polite and compliant while keeping on eye on valuables.
Municipal police are meant to enforce laws locally. Although we’ve heard that either can be corrupt, you’re most likely to encounter issues with municipal police. This section of the guide deals only with municipal police.
Make a plan
Police corruption is an unfortunate and very real problem in Mexico. It usually takes the form of a falsified traffic stop followed by an attempt at a bribe. It sounds crazy but the best thing to do is accept that it may happen to you and then make a plan.
You can minimize your risk of being pulled over by knowing and following all driving laws. This means that you’re driving the speed limit when everyone around you is going 20 over. You might not be able to completely eliminate bribe attempts but you’re not making yourself obvious. Also, don’t use a fake Canadian license plate. Foreigners are foreigners and they don’t give Canadians a pass.
Know the Process
Getting pulled over absolutely happens for legitimate reasons. Speeding, not stopping at a stop sign… Try to avoid U-turns because they are often illegal.
If you get pulled over for a legitimate reason, the process dictates that you should go to the police station and pay the ticket. This might mean that you’re asked to follow the officer to the station. If it’s after hours, you may be instructed to come to the station in the morning.
They may take your license as collateral to make sure that you show up to pay the fine. Fines for regular traffic violations vary but are in the $25 USD zone.
No Hablo Español
Traffic Stop #1
One February evening in La Paz, we rounded a corner and a police officer stepped into the road and motioned us to stop. He told us that we hadn’t stopped at a stop sign even though we clearly had. A conversation ensued (in Spanish) wherein the officer explained, in a very roundabout way, that he would accept money in lieu of a ticket.
At a traffic stop, you DO NOT speak or understand Spanish (even if you do).
Had we stared blankly and indicated that we didn’t speak Spanish, a bribe would have been more difficult to extract. It’s hard to dance around what they’re trying to dance around if you don’t understand nuance.
How does this interaction happen? In our experience, police do not outright say “give me money.” They say, “You know… it would be 5000 pesos if you have to go to the station but only 2000 pesos if you pay right here on the street.” All of that is false including the inflated ticket fee.
Some People Pay the Bribe
It’s important to note right here that paying bribes to police is illegal.
We don’t like to pay bribes because we believe it perpetuates a cycle of corruption that makes driving in Mexico a lot more hassle. To us it also feels icky to have participated in the ruse.
But some people find that it’s easier and faster to grease the wheels with a quick $20 USD. Ultimately a lot less money than any traffic stops north of the border. You can conduct your own cost-benefit analysis based of the situation.
That said, DO NOT, under any circumstances, initiate an offer to pay an officer instead of paying the ticket. You will have now committed an actual crime while giving the officer additional leverage.
You May Video Interactions with Police
Traffic Stop #2
On our way to the border crossing in Tijuana, we might have done something wrong (longer story), but the cop who stopped us was only interested in getting paid. He explained the supposed violation and vaguely alluded to the ways in which we might remedy it.
About 15 minutes passed without any clarity or forward movement. That is until Ali took out her phone and started recording video. Without missing a beat, the officer quickly pivoted to helping us get to where we were going.
Similarly, in Puerto Vallarta, we were stopped for running a red light that did not exist. This cop spoke perfect English (darn), but the bribery attempt morphed into a soft warning as soon as video started rolling.
It may feel awkward, but video is your friend in these exchanges.
Hide Your Cash
Under no circumstances should you keep thousands of pesos in your wallet and then open that wallet during any kind of police interaction.
We keep a fake wallet with a couple hundred pesos in the center console in case we are in a position where we truly might have to pay a bribe. Because of lucky timing, we also have an expired license in the same wallet.
We only carry a limited amount of cash in our actual wallets which are not out in the open. The rest of our cash (if we’ve just been to the ATM) is well hidden in various places throughout the car and trailer. And I mean well hidden as in, potentially stuffed in a tampon wrapper.
Final Notes
We may have an advantage being two people. If for no other reason, it’s easier having one person take video while the other handles the police interaction.
Gender seems to matter. For Ali, being a woman, pushing back on a cop was probably better than a man doing the same – you have to tread that line carefully. Ali actually yelled at the cop in Puerto Vallarta for lying, while Lincoln sat quietly. There might be some light sexism/machismo that could work in your favor.
While we didn’t experience it, we’ve heard stories about semi-official stops where officials go through your stuff looking for cash. Keep your personal belongings and valuables with you at all times and remember, you have the right to video the interaction.
Is it safe to drive in Mexico?
We’re working on a post right now that addresses this very question.
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