I'm a regular on a St. John message board and we have a thread about going to other islands this summer. I chimed in about going to Puerto Aventuras and renting a car for the week we're there so we have freedom to go where we want and when we want. He said that the cops robbed him in January while they were driving a rental car. He said that they, also, stopped some of his friends last week with their rental car and robbed them. Is this kind of stuff really happening? If it does happen, what do I need to do besides be polite? This guy is really making me nervous!!

Cancun. i need to call in the Experts on this one Ron. i take the bus because of the crazy drivers!!! tim

The traffic police in Cancun are for the most part corrupt. Doug and I had a rental car in January and were stopped leaving the hotel zone (going in town the back way) The two cops had radar guns and pulled us over and said we were speeding. Which we probably were as we didn't see the reduction in speed sign. Anyway, the cop asked for Doug's license and told - didn't ask me - to go sit in the car. After some discussion with the cop Doug came back to the car with a traffic book in his hand....like what? you have to take a test? The deal was, the cop told Doug that he would send his driver's license down town or "they" could do business together. The cop wanted $80 USD to give Doug his license back. He told Doug not to look at him while he was speaking to him, to look down the road. Doug offered him $50 (I think we could have gotten away with less, but this took Doug completely off guard). So the reason for the traffic book....put your money in the book and hold the book out the window and the cop came and got it, gave Doug his license back and we were on our way. This is something that typically happens in Cancun.....to tourists and it has happened to many of our local friends there also. Usually you can get away with $20. But we have been told by our friends that they cannot ask to see how much money you have or go through your car. It's much better to "make a deal" instead of having to go downtown to stand in line to pick up your license and pay a fine which we were told could be from $50-$150. Needless to say we were very cautious of the speed signs and all traffic for the duration of our stay. Going down again in 27 days and the car is already rented for this trip..........don't let it dampen your trip...just be cautious and watch all traffic signs.

...didn't notice this one before. Guess I've been away from the board for a day or two.

I read the other response about getting picked up leaving the HZ in Cancun. Sounds like a fairly common thing, but considering the number of people actually driving around in rental cars the likelihood is small. I've been renting and driving from the Cancun airport to Akumal and all around the area between Playa and Tulum, down to Punta Allen, inland to Coba, Valladolid, Chichen Itza, and Ek Balam during fourteen trips since 1998 and have never had a problem like that. Certainly it does happen, and I've heard it helps to only have a $20 in your wallet just in case. Also never let them know you're in a hurry (like heading to the airport or something) and be very willing to call their bluff and follow them to the station. I don't think anyone has ever actually had to do that. The guys will settle for $20. And if you're really good at not understanding a word he's saying (hint hint) frequently he'll just give up and go on to the next sucker. Some people even go so far as having an international driver's license to give to the guy so if he does actually take it, they still have their actual license.

The biggest thing you have to worry about is the infamous Pemex gas station attendant scams. Best way to deal with these is to get out of the car right away and watch everything the attendant does. See that he zeros the pump before starting to fill your car. Don't get distracted and keep one eye on the pump and the other on the nozzle in your tank. When he's done, make sure you both agree that the cash you're handing him is the correct amount. (Helps to pay in 100 peso notes since they have no 10's to switch with to claim you gave him too little money.) Many times they'll switch a 20 for a 200 and say you owe them 180 pesos more. Same would apply if you hand him a 500, expecting him to give you change. That one could suddenly become a 50. A common distraction method is for another guy to ask you about checking your oil or filling a supposedly low tire. Don't look away from the attendant filling your car but simply say "momentito". When all transactions are complete, then worry about a low tire, which probably won't be a problem.

My final bit of advise is to buy all the insurance you can get on the rental car from whatever agency you're renting from. Some even offer a zero deductible which I also would recommend. Some of the local agencies include it all in their internet rates. You'll find that a cheap deal on a rental will more than double in price with the insurance but you absolutely need it. There is no such thing as credit card insurance on a rental car in Mexico. It's pay now for the repairs to your car and then hope you have enough paperwork for your credit card company to reimburse you sometime in the future. Plus that will not apply to any other cars, people, animals or whatever you've hit. You need, at a minimum, CDW (usually a 10% deductible or more on the car you are renting) and ALI (liability covering the other guy). Anything else you can get is also good. If you can cover all costs out of pocket, you don't need the insurance. If you can't, and don't buy the insurance, expect to spend the rest of your vacation behind bars after an accident, and I don't mean swim-up-bars.

Hi Ron,

I have heard of shakedowns that are traffic related but I have never heard of the cops pulling a robbery in this area of the country.

I have regularly seen tourists getting pulled over and I suspect some of them have been speeding, running a light, talking on a cell phone, or not having their seat belts on.

I have a car here that is registered in Florida and I got stopped the other day and was told that my windows were tinted too dark. This was an obvious shakedown but I talked, cajoled, joked and finally threatened my way out of it. I all but said something about the guy's mom.

That said I would not hesitate to rent a car as it is an easy way to get around at your own schedule. I just filled my tank and paid $2.59 per gallon once I did the conversion from liters and applied the exchange rate.

AND I would absolutely pull the bumper stickers off the front and rear of the car. I still rent cars from Executive like when my car is getting serviced or when another car was totalled by our famous hurricane Wilma. These stickers, to me, are an invitation for bad cops and even for smash and grab.

I would enjoy my trip and rent the car. I hope this is solid advice.

T.J.
Cancun, Q.R. Mexico

Thanks for your help. I've rented a car in St John, Nassau, and Las Vegas (Vegas was the by far the worst ). I pretty sure that I can drive in Cancun and down the road to Puerto Aventuras without a problem. I'll just make sure to remove any rental car stickers.