Driving Tips in Mexico - Sixt rent a car

Here are some of the rules and regulations that you should take notice of before you start driving in Mexico:

• In Mexico, they drive on the right hand side of the road and over take on the left.
• The legal driving age in Mexico is 18.
• Using a seatbelt is mandatory for all occupants of a vehicle.
• Drink driving – driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal. The legal limit of blood alcohol content is 0.08%.
• The use of mobile devices without a hands-free system is prohibited while driving in Mexico.
• An oncoming vehicle flashing its headlights is a warning for you to slow down. This could be because you are both approaching a narrow bridge or place in the road. The custom is that the first vehicle to flash has the right of way and the other must yield. Or he's telling you there's something going on up ahead that you need to be aware of. If you are approaching a slow-moving vehicle, it is also customary for the slower vehicle to drive on the shoulder to let you pass. In a village with a narrow street, if two cars are approaching each other, sometimes one car will pull over and douse its lights so you know you have the right to pass.
• If the car in front of you puts on the left-hand signal, it could mean: he is turning left, he is telling you it is okay to pass him, he is going into the right lateral road to turn left, he simply forgot to turn it off. If in doubt, do no pass.
• Take caution if you are driving in Mexico at night. Mexico is a free-range country and animals tend to roam freely in the Mexican countryside and at night they are extremely hard to see. Also, normally in Mexico the roads are not well lit and can tend to have pot holes which, in the night, are hard to see and can cause damage.
• When approaching towns and cities beware of the Topes (speed bumps). You will need to immediately slow down when you see a sign with a bump on it. Sometimes the signs are hard to see and sometimes they aren’t there at all.

Please make sure that you are aware of all the road regulations before you start driving in Mexico.

Speed limits to adhere to when driving in Mexico:

• 40km/h in urban areas
• 80 km/h outside urban areas
• 100 to 110 km/h on highways

* Please note: Speed limits may vary in local areas

When driving in Mexico you need to have:

• Driving licence
• Passport
• Some proof of insurance
• Vehicle registration information

Although you do not need by law to have Mexican insurance it is strongly recommended as otherwise you could end up in jail for having an accident.

Because Mexico is such a vast country and there is so much to see and do there, make sure you use Sixt car rental to help you travel safely around the country. We have branches in a number of locations throughout Mexico including, Mexico city, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Saltillo.

If you travel to Cancun make sure you check out the fantastic beaches there and take a 2 hour drive out of the city to visit the Chichen Itza, one of the biggest and well preserved archeological sites in Mexico. Why not go to Mexico city and take in the Zocalo an impressive cathedral, or the ancient canals of Xochimilco and the Bosque de Chapultepec, an Anthropological Museum with so much to see that you might need more than a day.

Wherever you decide to travel in Mexico make the most of your road trip by using Sixt car rental.

Why not check out some of the other great destination we have covered, these include India, Cyprus and Singapore.

* Please note: All information was correct at the time of publication.