Driving From Guadalajara To:-

Guanajuato

Manzanillo

Leon

Morelia

San Juan de Los Lagos

Mexico City

Lagos de Moreno

Tepic

Puerto Vallarta

Tapalpa

 Pemex Station, Ajijic   

766-0633

 Pemex Station, Ajijic Chapala Libramiento

766-3393

 Pemex Station, Chapala          

765-2454

     Magna Sin

        Premium  

       Diesel L

A sampling of current fines (in pesos) for common violations of the Jalisco traffic code as of July 2006

If a ticket is issued to you may see how many days are written down instead of a monetary value, such as 3. The minimum salary in the area is $42 pesos per day, multiplied by 3 works out to $120 pesos.

A 50% discount is applied if the fine is paid within 5 working days after a traffic ticket is issued. 
Payments made within 14 working days qualify for a 25% percent discount.

Violation

Fine In Pesos

Violation

Fine In
Pesos

Expired vehicle registration

$42

Driving in reverse for more than 10 meters

$42

Failing to present driver’s license

42

Excessive polluting

126

Driving without a valid license

42

Running a red light or stop sign

320

Missing bumper/mirror/wipers

42

Illegal U turn

42

No seat belt

40

Illegal Left turn

42

Cracked/broken windshield

42

Speeding (0-10 km over limit)

336

Defective headlight or taillight

84

Driving wrong way on one-way street

420

No headlights and taillights

42

Illegal passing on two-way street

420

No vehicle insurance

42

Driving while intoxicated

$2,100

Passenger/pet/object obstructing driver

126

Making an illegal turn

320

Illegal parking

64 up

Having only one license plate

42

Parking in front of a private garage

(Plus $300 if towed.)

126

Swearing at transit officials

126

Lending vehicle to unlicensed driver

126

Parking in zone reserved for handicapped
(Plus $300 if towed.)

126

Driving or parking on sidewalk

$126

Always wear your seat belt.

Driving with expired foreign plates (yes a traffic ticket can legally be issued under Article 167, paragraph III of the Ley de los Servicios de Vialidad-Jalisco Traffic Law). If the traffic ticket goes unpaid it is unlikely any action any action would be taken, as there is no record of foreign plated vehicles in the SVT data bank.

$480

New Traffic Violations

Fine In Pesos

Throwing garbage out of a car window or depositing any kind of object that obstructs the driving of other vehicles.

$44

Transporting a child under 3 years of age in the passenger seat or in the back seat without a car seat.

$88

Driving or talking on a cell phone without a hands free set.

$132

Blocking the passage of emergency vehicles with their sirens turned on, or following too close to bypass traffic.

$440

Parking in restricted zones that are marked with a yellow line, even if there is no accompanying sign.

$132

Traffic Accidents

Mexican law is based on Napoleonic code instead of Anglo Saxon code as in Canada and the U.S. This means you are guilty until proven innocent.  Because of this, if there is an accident involving injury, all those involved can be taken into custody. This has led to the practice that many people will leave the scene of an accident. The rationale is that if you are guilty until proven innocent, a lawyer may be able to give you a better chance of avoiding jail.

Also, many people feel it is better to take the injured people to your choice of hospital since there are concerns about the quality of the 'Green Cross' hospitals used by the police. We aren't recommending any option to you. Talk to your insurance company, friends, and others and be prepared to make your choices or understand what happens at the scene.

Applying for a Driving License
 

Foreigners may apply for new licenses on the last working day of each month. It takes approximately two hours to issue licenses to first-time applicants, including a briefing in English on traffic regulations, a written test, and document processing.  Persons applying for renewals should expect about a one-hour wait.  Applicants presenting complete documentation are attended to on a first come, first serve basis.

Special service to English-speaking residents is offered. The Commandant at the following SVT office is Lorenzo Rodriguez Zamora.

For complete details please visit or call the SVT office, Avenida Hidalgo #92 in Riberas del Pilar, or call (376) 766-4747, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Commandant’s cell: -  01-331-193-4367.

Jalisco Drivers' written exam can be found online
Anyone applying for a new driver's license in Jalisco must take the written test prepared by the state Transportation Secretariat (SVT).  It's in, Spanish, but SVT staff will translate it for for­eigners if they need the help. You can down load the entire test with answers at http://svt.jalisco.gob.mx/pdf/bateria.pdf.
We've translated six of the 108 potential questions, just to see how many you get right.
Answers are also listed below.

 

Banks accept drivers' licenses as proof of ID
Banks in Jalisco now accept drivers' licenses issued by Jalisco's Department of Motor vehicles (SVT) as valid ID. The Jalisco Banking Center said the SVT has made intense efforts to reduce the possibility of falsifying the new licenses, which were introduced in August 2001.  Jalisco joins the Estado de Mexico and Querétaro as the only Mexican states with these high security licenses.

Avoiding traffic violations
The following tips to help local motorists avoid run ins with Transito officers. The most common traffic violations committed in the Chapala area include illegal parking, running red lights, driving the wrong way on one way streets, and exceeding the speed limit.

No parking zones are defined by yellow lines painted on curbs and signs showing an "E" enclosed in a red circle with a diagonal left to right slash. Parking is also prohibited within a six-meter (18 feet) zone from any street corner.

The maximum speed limit along open stretches of the Chapala Jocotepec highway is 60 kilometers per hour. The limit drops to 30 kilometers per hour in populated areas and ten kilometers per hour in designated school zones.

Conflict points
There are several specific points of conflict.  In Chapala traffic accidents most often occur along Avenida Hidalgo between the Hotel Montecarlo and the Avenida Madero intersection. Careless drivers making prohibited maneuvers such as U-turns or passing slow moving vehicles often cause accidents.

Rear end collisions are frequently provoked when motorists slow down to drive over speed bumps or stop suddenly on the highway to make left turns. It is recommends that, whenever possible, drivers should pull over to the right shoulder and wait for traffic to clear before crossing the road to enter subdivisions or the San Antonio shopping area.

Motorists are also advised to exercise caution at the Carretera junction with the Ajijic-Chapala librarniento (by-pass). Traffic officers regularly monitor that spot to pull over drivers who zip through a red light or fail to wait for a green arrow before making a left turn.

Another common traffic violation is driving the wrong way on access roads running parallel to the highway. On the south side of the highway vehicles may circulate west to east only. The reverse is true on the opposite north side.

Left hand turns from the highway into the La Floresta residential zone are prohibited. Drivers should turn right, go around the traffic circle and then cautiously cross the highway.

Plasticized color photocopies of driver’s permits or other official documents are considered forgeries. Trying to pass one off as the real thing constitutes a federal crime in Mexico.

Importing & Driving Foreign Plated Vehicles

The following information is courtesy of Lic. Adriana Perez Flores, Attorney at Law, Ajijic Legal & Immigration Services, Carreterra. Ote. # 58-G, Ajijic.  (Across from Telmex.)  Tel/Fax (376) 766-4777.

info@ajijiclaw.com

This subject is always full of speculation and rumors. The most common rumors are whether or not you must go to the Mexico/US border to re-register your vehicle once you obtain an FM-2 or FM-3.
The answer is no.

Foreigners are allowed to enter Mexico with a vehicle, which is not Mexican plated (e.g. Canadian or US), as long as you have the following: Mexican Vehicle Insurance; FM-T, FM-2, FM-3; Vehicle registration in your name, and a credit card or cash to cover a bond for the vehicle. The Mexican government will charge your credit card for $30, or you have to put up the cash for a percentage of what the car is worth, and the type of car it is.

The government will then provide you with a temporary importation permit, and a sticker for the windshield. Remember to turn this registration and sticker into customs when leaving Mexico with your vehicle.

According to customs, you are not allowed to have more than one foreign plated car registered in Mexico. You may have heard that some people do, but normally customs does not allow it. Also, it is illegal to sell your foreign plated vehicle in Mexico. The only legal way to do this is to legalize it in Mexico (e.g. get Mexican plates for it), which is extremely difficult.  If you do sell your vehicle here you will be fined next time you enter Mexico with another vehicle.  Also, if the vehicle you've sold here is in an accident 2 years down the road, and the person you sold it to walks away; you can be held liable for that accident.

If your car is stolen while you're here, and reported to the police, and to your insurance company, and even if you have gotten a return from your insurance company, you may still be fined once you return to Mexico with another vehicle. We recommend you do not mention the stolen vehicle when entering Mexico with a replacement vehicle. If they do notice, you will have to pay the fine if you want to bring the new vehicle in. You can petition the government later for the fine and get your money back, but you will have to put the money up to begin with.

You are now asking why I would have to pay this fine.  Well, it's actually quite simple. In the past couple of years the Mexican government has found out that a number of imported vehicles had actually been reported stolen in the States. People were driving their cars down, and went back to the states, reported them stolen, claimed the insurance, and drove them down here and never brought them Stateside again.

Also foreigners who own and drive a foreign-plated vehicle in Mexico do not have to have
 current licence plate tags as long as their FM-3 no-inmigrante or FM-2 inmigrante status is valid.
Reference: - Article 106 of the Mexican Customs Law.

Importing A New Car Into Mexico as of January 2004

If you bring a new vehicle into Mexico here are some tips on how to go about the task and avoid problems at the border:

Make sure the VIN on all the documents matches the plaque that's placed near the windshield of most vehicles.

      The VIN number digit that tells the cars origin must be" 1" for the United States and "2" for Canada.

            The importer must also present the certificate of origin that the manufacturer can provide.

 FAQs for drivers of Canadian or US plated vehicles

Can an FM2 inmigrante drive a Canadian or US plated vehicle in Mexico?
Yes. FM2 inmigrante rentistas and FM3 no-inmigrantes can drive their vehicles in Mexico as long as their visas are valid, even though they may only have been given six-month permits at the border.  Remember: Carry a copy of your visa in your car at all times.  It is also recommended that motorists carry a copy of the Mexican Customs Law (Ley Aduanera) Article 106, section IV, paragraph a, with them in the car, in case an official is unaware of all the laws.

Can anyone apart from the legal owner of the foreign plated vehicle drive it in Mexico?
Spouses, brothers, sisters, children and grandparents who have the same immigration status as the owner of the vehicle are allowed to drive without the owners being in the vehicle. But the owner must be in the car if a Mexican citizen is driving the vehicle (spouses accepted). This is all explained in Mexican Customs law Article 106.

When the owner of a Canadian or US plated car becomes an FM2 inmigrado does he or she have to get rid of the vehicle?
Under the letter of the law, an inmigrado is obliged to take the vehicle out of the country. The law does not allow inmigrados to keep and drive Canadian or US plated vehicles in Mexico.

Can the vehicle be sold legally in Mexico if it is not worth taking it to the US or Canada?
Officially, foreign plated vehicles cannot be bought or sold in Mexico.

Would it be legal for an inmigrado to drive a US or Canadian plated vehicle if that person cannot afford to buy an equivalent Mexican car?
No.

Can the driver simply change the plates to Mexican plates?
A recent program that permits the "Mexicanization" of foreign-plated cars and pick-up trucks more than ten years old has expired.  At that time foreigners paid between $ 2,000 and $ 4,500 pesos.  It is possible to get Mexican plates for a car of any age by paying the applicable import duties for the vehicle. However, the costs are very high and most people say it is not worth the expense.

Who can impound and seize foreign plated vehicles?
The only authority allowed to do this is Aduana (Customs) and Administrracion Local de Auditoria Fiscal Federal. No other authority including the Traffic Police, City Police, the Federal Police, or the Military can impound or seize foreign plated vehicles.

What papers should foreigners carry in their vehicles?

Aduana (Customs) advises you have only photocopies of your migratory status, the vehicle importation permit and title and insurance papers. Never leave originals copies in the vehicle!

WHY INSURERS MOST TIMES WON'T PAY YOU THE FULL VALUE OF YOUR VEHICLE

Before signing a car insurance policy; make sure you read all the conditions and fine print, advises Arturo Robles Grey, Jalisco delegate for CONDUSEF. Part of his role is to educate the public on their obligations and rights as users of financial services.

"Many times these conditions say that (in the event of a write off) the company will pay only commercial value of the vehicle," he says. " This is a big let down for some people. They think they are going to get the full value of the vehicle and will be able to go out and buy the same car as the one they owned. But most insurance policies base the value of the vehicle on the Blue Book (Libro Azul) price. This guide establishes the value of the vehicle as that which a used car dealer would pay you. This can be up to 15 percent less than the final market asking price."

Robles Grey continues, "There are policies that allow you to stipulate that you want to be paid the full value of the vehicle, and those that agree to pay 110 percent of the value of the billed purchase price, although the premium will probably be slightly more expensive. And remember, when you purchase an insurance policy, by law you have a 15 day grace period to be able to ask the company to make a change on the policy."