Mexico Insurance...who bothers?
 

There seem to be a lot of people recommending insurance for Mexico (because it is a legal requirement), even though it seems nobody will ask for it unless you have an accident.

Having travelled through so many countries without insurance I'm reluctant to pay for it. Best quotes I've got are U$96 inc Legal from Baja Bound and U$84 from Mexins.

How many actually buy the insurance? Who's had to claim? and most importantly, who's had an accident without it?

PS. I have no idea why everything is underlined!

Why not pay the legal amount as required by a country you want to visit? How about if people enter your country without paying then have problems, I am sure you would like to see the book thrown at them?

Pay the dues, then maybe you won't have the problem of explaining "NO" to a Mexican Bubba ;)

nb. I paid and it was asked for when I was stopped by the police, so it is a gamble.

Cheers
TS

I have lived in Mexico for over 30years and have never had bike insurance. I am sure I will get a lot of flak for this but think if you feel ok without it then save your money.
If you come to Mex City and need a place to stay contact me and we can put you ip.

GarryHostel.com

I'm with TravllingStorm on that.

Also, traveling from the US into Mexico, you'll typically encounter a checkpoint ~20 km land inwards. With foreign plates (non-Mexican) the likelihood of being stopped is greater. Not having the insurance may cause them to turn you around and obtain coverage after all.

But, first and foremost, edit 09/29/10: (if) it is Mexican law on Mexican soil. Assuming you are not a Mexican national, you are a guest in the country. Just my $0.02

Enjoy, Mexico is beautiful and the people are fantastic.

We paid $72 for each of us, traveling on 2 bikes. We have been in Mexico for just over 15 days and have been waved through all checkpoints except the very 1st one just outside Tijuana. To us, it was peace of mind as we don´t want to spend time in a Mexican jail till the justice system decides who was at fault in case of an accident. Everyone is different and you have to way up the + as well as - of traveling in Mexico without it. To date, we have not been asked for it, however I almost had a bus run me over in Zacatecas yesterday.

There seems to be a misunderstanding about insurance in Mexico. It is NOT a legal requirement. I have never been asked for it. Not at the inland Aduana checkpoints, not at the military checkpoints, not at the Policia Federal checkpoints and not at the local police checkpoints. If you were asked for it by police at a routine checkpoint that might have been a bribe attempt upon an unsuspecting tourist.

Having said all this, I did buy insurance. The prospect of hanging out in a Mexican jail does not appeal to me at all.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Huh! So all it amounts to, is "keep your butt out of jail" in case of an accident, because the US/Canadian liability insurance will not automatically cover accidents in Mexico.

But, your are right, none of the offers for Mex-insurance I have seen so far specifically say "mandatory or required by Mexican law"

thanx for putting it straight.

After doing my above post I did a bit more research. It may actually be possible that some Mexican states have made it mandatory. I found a reference to it being mandatory in Jalisco since 1999. If this is correct it would be a similar situation to Canada and the USA. In Canada/USA motor vehicles and their insurance fall under the jurisdiction of individual provinces and states. Each state/province has its' own licence plate and laws. All provinces in Canada have enacted laws requiring mandatory insurance. Most US states have done so as well (as far as I know). But some US states still do not require it. It follows to reason that maybe things are the same in Mexico. After all, they all have state licence plates down there as opposed to a "Mexican" plate. So maybe there is a patchwork of insurance requirements in Mexico and maybe it is mandatory after all ...in some states.

Now that the matter is even more confusing:

Regardless, I would recommend insurance. Mexico is advanced enough in their systems to make it a serious problem for a visitor involved in a crash with no insurance.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Yup, I'll second that motion. Good info/view point Michelle...:smile3:

+1 Michelle,
indeed it is being made compulsory in Mexico , but it is along process.
No roadside cop or army check or passport control ever asks for proof of insurance IF there is not an accident. This seems to be a tradition in deference to all the Mexican drivers who never have bought insurance ever.
Buying liability insurance for Mexico at the cheapest rate through a drivers license policy, ,as low as $85 fo r a full year, is a minor expense to cover your self just in case.
As a motorcylist you are likely to be on the loosing end in any crash, but you never know if somebody sees fit to claim you were responsible.Feels good to be able to call for help.

Can of worms this one...I feel like I just asked "What oil should I put in my bike!"

Thanks for all your input everyone.

Blackbeast - that's the best price I've seen. Where did you buy it?

Adam

San Ysidro - just before the Tijuana border crossing. Turn right as you get off the Hwy, and the place is on the left. Baja 4 Less Insurance. We opted for the 6 mth option as it worked out cheaper than buying one for 30 days. We drove around to 4 places along that strip and this was the cheapest at the time.
Daryll

Thanks Daryll - I'll give them a go.

Don't bother w/ insurance. Police check points don't care. It's not against the law to drive w/o insurance in Mex.

I've just entered Mexico from Belize today. The Aduana guy said insurance is NOT mandatory but I inquired anyway in the local office. I was quoted around US$200 for 2 months.
Quite expensive, so I didn't go for it. At least for now.

Still, I'm confused: is insurance really not required, I mean in ALL states? Does anyone know a good/cheaper place to buy insurance? Maybe somewhere in a bigger city in "mainland" (not at a border)?
I'd be happy to pay US$50-100 for two months.