Traffic violation courtesy ticket?
- Thread starter Jayfarmlaw
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
It's simple, at least for me. I don't drive on Cozumel. Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap, and they get me everywhere I need to go. I haven't been behind the wheel on Cozumel for ten years or more, and I don't miss it one bit. Just like in diving, it's a risk management issue; in this case, for me, the risks outweigh the benefits. DSFDF and YMMV, of course.
Kicker1866
Contributor
A few years ago I was headed to the Money Bar after doing the eastside bar crawl.....I was driving a little too fast through town... ran into a nice officer that was very curious as to how much I had been drinking and allowed me to pay a speeding fine on the spot. ( Now....I wasn't drunk, but the fact that he brought it up made me think he was open to accepting the fine on the spot. Amazing what a $100 bill can do)
Pesos or USD?
Kicker1866
Contributor
US. I jokingly tell everyone that i carry a C-Note with me at all times because of this event.
gopbroek
Contributor
I don't joke about it I do carry a portrait of Ulysses S Grant folded up behind my licence, which comes out my wallet as a pair. If necessary I keep additional reserves elsewhere.
That's disturbing on several levels. First, it's a ridiculous amount for just "driving a little too fast". Second, it's sad that any amount is enough for serious offenses like drunk driving. (And I'm not directing the blame at you.)
kixy1
Contributor
Having recent experience of being pulled over twice last trip (not on Coz, over on the mainland), we were polite, listened to their spiel (said we were speeding) and then we immediately asked for directions to the police department and asked if they would be meeting us there. They knew that WE knew how it worked and we were willing and unafraid to go through the hassle of paying the true fine for the 'infraction'. Once they knew they weren't going to get anything for themselves, we were sent on our way with a handshake. Full disclosure, we also carry our license in a separate little wallet with $200 pesos folded in the compartment behind, 'just in case'. We figure if we've got suitcases in the back they're going to know we don't want to miss our flight and will push the issue.
To say the answer is simply not to break any traffic laws is highly naive... We were not drinking, we were not speeding, we had not broken any traffic laws. We were simply in a rental car and not local. This is an unfortunate reality of the way Mexico works. At least for now. I firmly believe that if the government and municipalities could pay officers a livable wage, consistently, there would be far less corruption. When you've got kids to feed, morals are often compromised.
To say the answer is simply not to break any traffic laws is highly naive... We were not drinking, we were not speeding, we had not broken any traffic laws. We were simply in a rental car and not local. This is an unfortunate reality of the way Mexico works. At least for now. I firmly believe that if the government and municipalities could pay officers a livable wage, consistently, there would be far less corruption. When you've got kids to feed, morals are often compromised.
