Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2012 12:23:12 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Enforcers (friday)
In-Reply-To: <20121109141606.HQ72V.105058.imail@eastrmwml107>
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O
> All this reminds me of a trip into Mexico on a route with which I was not
> familiar at the time. A traveling companion and I agreed that I would
> follow him, since he knew the route and I didn't, though I did have it
> marked out on a map. I didn't realize that speed was the most important
> criterion for proper driving to him. Traffic was heavy along most of the
> route. I truly feared for my safety. Finally, I just gave up trying to
> follow him, and followed the route we had marked out. I got there ten
> minutes later than he did, on a 300 mile trip.
>
> On the return, I never tried to keep up with him at all. But I did see
> him, about half way along the route. He had been involved in an accident,
> and was stopped along the road. The other driver had sped away, probably
> fearing jail, which is a common consequence of a traffic accident in
> Mexico. The van my companion was in was not drivable, and we feared he
> might be jailed also. However, a "green angel" stopped, called the
> gendarmes and a tow truck, and everything worked out ok. But speed was a
> contributor to the accident.
> >
>
Mexico driving is a whole different game. It's not the United States
and they do a lot of things differently, some things they do much better
than we do here in the USA.... LIke when you are following a slow Mexican
truck along a remote winding two lane highway and his left blinker goes
on.....that means he sees ahead and it is clear for you to pass him....If
he is turning left, he will pull into the left lane ahead of time, before
he begins to slow for the turn, and then turn, allowing following traffic
to pass on the right without slowing for him....Of course, with our USA
legal system that won't work....but it seems to work quite well in
Mexico....except when you encounter a Gringo driver who doesn't know the
rules there.
Also, sometimes speed can actually be a safety ploy.....If you don't want
nutty people passing you unsafely, just go too fast to have them even
consider going around you....I have resorted to this tactic in Mexico when
I happened to be there during the Baja 1000 and all the borracho (sp?)
Mexican fans and the race support vehicles were whizzing around us to keep
pace with the racers who cross the paved road at various check
points.....It was less unsafe for me to drive really fast than it was to
depend on the sobriety and skills of all the other drivers who were flying
by....kinda fun, too in a risky way, but then I am a nut when it comes to
that stuff.
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