My next few posts are going to be about what to you do before you get behind the wheel to drive through Mexico.
The first thing you need is Mexican Auto Insurance. You will find that most insurance companies will not cover you south of the border. We use a company called Lewis and Lewis Auto Insurance out of California. They work with a Mexican insurance company, Qualitas. They have rates from 10 days to 1 year, plus you can configure your insurance on their website before you commit to them.
If you are in an accident, you call the number they give you, an agent shows up at the scene of the accident where they asses the claim, deal with the police and if there are other parties involved they work with them on your behalf. In the 13 years we have lived in Mexico we have made two claims. The service has been good in both cases, but extremely slow taking 4-5 months to settle claims. However, we were happy with the results in both cases.
When we drive through Mexico we also usually purchase a road side assistance package. With either buy Good Sam or AAA. We do this because they cover towing. They do not have their own operators in Mexico, but they will reimburse you should you have to be towed a long distance. Fortunately we have never had this happen to us. There are other programs available, you can check them out here, but make sure they include Mexico.
Do you know who these guys?
You should. This is a “Green Angel” or “Angeles Verdes”. The Green Angels are a roadside assistance program operated by the Mexican government. You will see the white and green trucks parked by the side of the road or driving down highways. If you should run into vehicle trouble, flag one of these guys down, they provide free service and information (gasoline and parts much be paid for). You can also reaching them by dialing 078 on a Mexican cell.
Its not good to say anything bad about the competition but its worth considering buying a Mexican Insurance policy from a Best’s A rates company and even better one that has offices in the USA and other parts of the world. As a result, I’d suggest you also consider http://www.DriveMex.com , they have been selling Mexican Insurance since 2001 and have Best’s A rated insurance companies.