mexico safety
 

Hi Guys,
not sure if it's really worth asking it.. but as asking is for free.. ;-) :
My mexican hotel manager (in Cancun) just warned me of the main roads from Oxaca city to the coast and the more solitary parts of the coastal road itself in Oxaca state and west of it. German foreign ministry states that "in the past" there were armed assaults on solitary roads in Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas. I can't find any recent reports on such assaults, so it looks like being perfectly safe as long as you travel at daytime.
Do you ask bus / truck drivers for the saftety on the road ahead? Or do you even go in a convoy with those guys on certain streches? (This is what my hotel manager recommended... :-))
Any comments welcome
Winne

Mexico is usually good about keeping tourists safe. However, if your hotel manager is warning you, I would take that into account...and stick to the daytime.

[This message has been edited by yuma simon (edited 10 February 2006).]

I've never had a problem but it wouldn't hurt to ask the locals. They may tell you to avoid certain roads and if they do then don't take them.
If you come to Mexico City send me an email.

A friend of mine, backpacker not motorcyclist, spent 2 months in Oaxaca last fall and got the same warnings from the owner of the hostel he stayed at. I spent a couple months in Mexico and Central America 3 years ago and had no trouble myself, but did hear some robbery stories in that area. The only robbery stories from that trip were from southern Mexico and Guatemala. I don't consider it overly dangerous and am going back in a few months, but it does seem like the most likely area for trouble in Central America. As said by someone earlier, travelling early in the day seems to be safest.

The problem of bandidos does exist in certain areas but it is not a fulltime threat.Use common sense, ride only during the day , do not stop and linger in desolate stretches of country without keeping a sharp eye out for approaching traffic that might be suspicious such as cars or pickups that slow down as they come near or pass and then turn around.. If you are stopped and a bus passes you then stops to let someone off be very alert! At all times be ready to fire up and move away quickly.(experience talking there, south of ... Oaxaca twelve years ago.)Donot try to be a good helpful tourist if you see somebody with a flat tire or motor problems in the middle of nowhere., you never know. On the other hand if you want to talk to someone who is doing some actual work on the fencing or is obviously not interested in you that is safe enough. Taking these precautions in mind I have travelled all the main federal highway stretches where at some time or other it was reported or alleged that it was dangerous. Even the section of Mex 15 north of Culiacan,Sinaloa ,where it has been so common that the government has erected big signs to alert travellers to NOT linger, avoid unnecessary single vehicle night travel (NEVER) and to to watch out.

Thanks to all of you for the helpful advice! :-)