Highway Signs in Mexico

Can You Read the Signs?

Tara Spears

As thousands of seasonal visitors return to the Riviera Nayarit, many arrive by personal vehicle and are often overheard bemoaning the confusion of Mexican road signs. Well, duh, Canadian road signs are confusing if one doesn’t understand English. I am embarrassed to admit that even after years of being a permanent resident in this beautiful country, I couldn’t read the Spanish traffic signs. This fall I determined to educate myself. With notebook and pen on the seat, I set off driving and would pull over to jot down the sign wording to be translated later. For years I had blindly made up translations as I barreled along the Mexican roads, more interested in the sights than the traffic signs- imagine my shock to learn that my imaginary translations were totally wrong. Yikes! Ignorance may be bliss but it is also unsafe when behind the wheel.

A crucial sign that most international drivers can recognize because it is the same shape and color as the ubiquitous stop signs is Alto; however, in Mexico it is not typically placed on the right side of the road before the intersection but rather on the far side of the cross street. Another troublesome sign is the left turn indicator: here it is necessary to exit one street from the right lane to make a left turn into another street-heads up to all of you that are zipping into Bucherias’ Mega or Vallarta’s Cosco or Walmart. Forget the rules of the road that you learned in another country regarding yellow lines: in Mexico, the drivers pass on turns or whenever they feel like it, solid lines be damned, expecting the oncoming traffic to make way for them. Obviously, driving defensively and yielding is wise no matter how strongly you feel that you have the right of way.

A word of significant caution to all international drivers: if you are involved in a traffic accident, no matter whose fault caused the incident, Mexican law requires the police to confiscate your foreign vehicle and the driver is taken to jail. Paying the ‘fine’ to redeem your vehicle is quite steep, not to mention stressful, especially if you are not fluent in Spanish. Another traffic law that I learned the hard way is that Mexican nationals cannot drive vehicles with foreign plates (registry). So no matter how well you know and like a national, do not lend your vehicle- if they are pulled over by the police, the car will be confiscated and the owner (you) will have to pay a huge fine to get the vehicle back. While both of the above actions may seem harsh, in reality they are a protection, a means of getting drunk drivers immediately off the road and as a potential means of recovering stolen vehicles.

Regardless of the signs, my personal Mexican driving nemesis is the proliferation of speed bumps. I have a low riding car, so it didn’t take long (ok, six months and an oil pan replacement) for me to get the idea that the speed limit is primarily regulated, not by signs, but by unannounced concrete mounds (topes). The sudden appearance of several speed bumps indicates that you are approaching a village, town, or high pedestrian area. The absolute worst speed bumps in this country (that I have experienced) are as you enter Tepic. The only municipality where I have ever noticed tope signs is in Guadalajara, and then the signs are even with the cursed curve- not far enough in advance to effectively slow down before reaching them. I have learned to automatically decrease speed in critical areas along my oft traveled routes.

Driving throughout the Riviera Nayarit gorgeous scenery is just as safe and enjoyable as NOB as long as one uses common sense, defensive driving tactics, and reads the signs.

Common Mexican road signs and English translation:

Semaforo en operacion	Traffic lights ahead
No rebase	No passing
Curva peligrosa	Dangerous curve
Frene con motor	Use your engine to brake
Ponga la basura en su lugar	Put trash in its place
Concede cambio de luz	Dim your lights for oncoming traffic
Obedezca las señales	Obey traffic signs
Utilice el cinturón de seguro	Use seat belts
No maltrate las señales	Don’t damage the road signs
Grava suelta	Loose gravel
Tramo en reparación	Road repairs ahead
Máquinas trabajando	Heavy equipment ahead
Guarde su distancia	Don’t tailgate
Precaución: zona de ganado	Caution: open range
Si toma no maneja	If you drink, don’t drive
Con neblina encienda sus luces	Turn on headlights when foggy
Respete los límites de velocidad	Respect posted speed limits
Termina puente en construcción	End of bridge construction
Puente	Bridge
Puesto de control military	Military checkpoint
Gracias por usar el cinturón de seguro	Thank you for buckling up
Topes	Speed bumps
Un solo carril	Single lane ahead
Desviación	Detour
Disminuya su velocidad	Slow down
No deje piedras sobre el pavamiento	Don’t leave rocks on the highway
Conserve limpia la carretera	Keep highway clean
Más vale tarde que nunca	Better late than never!
Zona de vados	Washes in area
Cruce de peatones	Crosswalk
No rebase con raya contínua	No passing on solid line

Precaución extrema: orilla peligrosa	Extreme caution: dangerous shoulder
No se estacione	No parking
Termina acotamiento	Shoulder ends
Carreteras limpias son mas seguras	Clean highways are safer
Precaución: maquinas trabajando	Caution: machinery working ahead
Cinturón de seguridad obligatorio	Mandatory use of seat belt
No maltrates las senales	Don’t damage road signs
Precaución: zona de derrumbes	Caution: landslides possible
No circule por acotamiento	Don’t drive on shoulder
Modere la velocidad, su familia le espera	Slow down, your family is waiting for you
Con niebla o lluvia enciende sus luces	Turn on lights when foggy or rainy
Carril izquierdo solo para rebasar	Left lane for passing only
Principia tramo de cuota	Begin toll road
Camino cerrado por obras	Road closed ahead
Use acotamiento para emergencia	Shoulder are only for emergencies
No exceda los límites de velocidad	Don’t exceed the speed limits
Transito lento carril derecho	Slower traffic use right lane
No tire basura	Don’t litter
Periferico	Bypass highway (from downtown city)