Long Drive South: Practical Advice for Driving Mexico
After decades of logging miles across Mexico—publishing road reports, running On the Road in Mexico, and advising thousands of travelers on vehicle permits and Mexican auto insurance—one question lands in my inbox more than any other: “Is it actually safe to drive?”
I enjoy the drive south, but experience is no substitute for checking the route ahead. We could not verify the winter-driver and vehicle-permit totals previously quoted here, so those estimates have been removed.
What the numbers can—and cannot—tell us
The U.S. State Department’s reporting on non-natural deaths abroad concerns U.S. citizens, not a defined sample of tourists driving Mexican highways. It lists dates, places and causes of death. Those records alone do not give us a tourist driving risk rate.
Dividing deaths by visitor arrivals and comparing the result with a full-year U.S. resident homicide rate mixes different populations and time at risk. It does not establish that a road traveller is “ten times safer” in Mexico. We also could not substantiate the earlier border-city percentage or the claimed toll-road casualty rate.
Vehicle theft: do not assume your rig is exempt
Canada’s Mexico advisory names camper vans, SUVs and pickups as carjacking targets. It does not provide separate figures for motorhomes, fifth-wheels or travel trailers. We have not verified a specific motorhome or fifth-wheel carjacking report in this review, and the advisory should not be read as evidence that all RV types are commonly targeted. The absence of a verified report also does not establish zero risk. Read the current Canadian safety advice.
The previous comparison table mixed U.S. city incident totals with unsupported descriptions of Mexican highway risk. It did not use matching years, definitions or exposure measures, so it has been removed.
Check the whole route
Check current state and regional advisories before choosing each day’s drive. As reviewed September 18, 2026, Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel in Sinaloa, with specified destination exceptions that require arrival by air or sea. Those exceptions do not authorize a drive through the state on Highway 15D. Read the regional warnings and exceptions.
Road conditions and security conditions are separate questions. An open highway is not an assurance of safe travel. Our current road reports provide dated updates; check again before departure.
Practical habits for the drive
- Plan daylight driving. Choose an overnight stop early enough to allow for delays.
- Use toll routes where appropriate. They do not remove security risks or override regional warnings. Check conditions on your chosen road.
- Arrange insurance before departure. Confirm Mexican liability coverage, deductibles, assistance and claims procedures with your insurer. Our insurance guide explains the options.
- If threatened, do not resist. People matter more than the vehicle or its contents.
These precautions reflect Canada’s Mexico travel advice. They reduce avoidable exposure; they cannot promise a trouble-free trip.
Mexico has given us decades of memorable road journeys. My advice is to prepare carefully, leave room to change plans and judge the next stretch on current information.
Correction, September 18, 2026: Unverified travel totals, numerical risk comparisons and vehicle-targeting assurances have been removed. This article is practical guidance, not a statistical estimate of your personal risk.