Car Rentals and Driving in Cancun

Pretty much everyone who intends to go to Cancun will hear nightmares stories about the driving experiences other people have had while in Mexico. This can cause the formation of a very negative view of what it is like to be on the roads in Mexico, but if you are careful, cautious, and you make smart choices ( as you need to be while driving anywhere in the world), you will find that driving in Mexico can be just like driving anywhere. The road quality, in particular, between Cancun or Tulum is in great condition due to recent highway expansion.

Here are some things to do while driving in and around Cancun that will keep you on the right track:

Keep Your Speed Down

Keeping your speed a little lower than you might usually on roads you know will go a long way to ensuring that you see any potential issues before they are upon you. Issues you might need to look out for include topes and potholes. Topes are tall speed bumps most commonly found in and around towns and cities, and they can do some serious damage to your undercarriage if you hit them at full speed. Topes become less of an issue out on the highways, but here you should keep an eye out for potholes which can reach ginormous proportions. If you hit one of these at high speeds they will wreck your car.

Pass With Extreme Care

People in Mexico like to get where they’re going quickly, and so you need to be absolutely sure of your space before you try to overtake; if you misjudge you may find that people make it hard to get back into your lane again. There’s typically nowhere to pull off, either, just a ditch rather than a hard shoulder.

Avoid Driving at Night

This is an important tip. Not only is driving in the dark more dangerous even on roads you know, but on strange roads it is even more so. The majority of fatal accidents in this area is highest at night due to inebriated drivers and pedestrians, animals on the road, potholes, the lack of reflective lines on the highway, or people driving without lights on. If you’re driving any sort of distance be sure you’re going to reach your destination before it gets dark.

Sundays Deserve Extra Vigilance

Sundays and paydays (the 15th and 30th of each month) commonly see a spike in drunk driving incidents, and so these are times at which you should be extra careful when on the roads, especially at night. You should also keep an eye out for drunk pedestrians at such times, especially in the city centre.

Make Smart Choices

It is sadly the case that there are countless tourists who seem to take a vacation from their common sense as well as their everyday lives. It’s not uncommon to see families piled onto the bed of a pickup truck, or kids hanging out car windows; the locals may do it, but this doesn’t mean you should. A good rule of thumb is this; if you wouldn’t do it at home, don’t do it in Cancun.