Is Mexico Safe?

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by ztrab

Skymed or Medjet, it can save you a lot of grief. You can carry an annul policy for a pretty reasonable amount, I think mine was under 200 a year, or daily is about 9 bucks. Probably never use it again, but........

I've paid $295/year for the past two years for the standard MedJet Assist coverage including bike extraction ($35).

Don't forget to wear your insurance card where folks can find it and be sure your riding buddies and emergency contacts have all your insurance info, blood type, allergies, etc. Just in case you get brain-boinged like our good friend Karl.

[tricepilot]

I wear and recommend Road ID when traveling in Mexico. I simply wear the same one I use when riding a bicycle back home in the US.



You can run through the scenarios where an item such as this might make quite the difference, even if you have other forms of ID or emergency contact info elsewhere.

I'll leave those ponderings up to the reader.

[acejones]

I agree with Trice on the Road ID. Its a useful item, but mainly if you crash in a larger city or a place where they see a lot if North Americans. In the boonies, not so much. As to blood type, its not important, because they will type and cross match you anyway, before you get any blood and you're pretty much going to get a tetanus shot even if you had one last month.
It could be useful to have allergy info available, but even then they can deal with allergic reactions in any ER, so you aren't likely to die from any of that stuff.
doctor's have to deal with unknown histories everyday.

[SchizzMan]

And the reasoning behind providing less informations is.......................??

[tricepilot]

Busy day here at Casona Tricepilot

Bob C and Mike (top and middle respectively) pulled in from Mexico on their way back to Minnesota

Moto Hank dropped off my GSA after maintenance wrenching and adding PIAA horns (VERY loud)

Gravel Guy spent a chunk of his day with me getting his KLR balancer lever overhauled.

Tough day but we recovered at Harmon's BBQ

[acejones]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

And the reasoning behind providing less informations is.......................??

I'm not sure if the above was directed to me, but.....the info is going to be checked regardless
of who gives it. You could have it tattooed on your chest; they are still going to check it before they act.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by acejones

Its a useful item, but mainly if you crash in a larger city or a place where they see a lot if North Americans.

I disagree with this on several levels, but, hey, right now Tricewife wants a glass of merlot

[noshoes]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

....... we recovered at Harmon's BBQ

No pix of the BBQ???

[Bato]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

I've paid $295/year for the past two years for the standard MedJet Assist coverage including bike extraction ($35).

Don't forget to wear your insurance card where folks can find it and be sure your riding buddies and emergency contacts have all your insurance info, blood type, allergies, etc. Just in case you get brain-boinged like our good friend Karl.

[Pedro Navaja]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

I wear and recommend Road ID when traveling in Mexico. I simply wear the same one I use when riding a bicycle back home in the US.



You can run through the scenarios where an item such as this might make quite the difference, even if you have other forms of ID or emergency contact info elsewhere.

I'll leave those ponderings up to the reader.

Great minds think like mine. I have Road ID as well. I also wear it in the gym, when hiking, riding, etc.

[acejones]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

I disagree with this on several levels, but, hey, right now Tricewife wants a glass of merlot

Since Mrs. Ace and I have just had our Cabernet, what do you disagree with ? I expect if you crash outside of Japan, they won't really know what to do with the Road ID and if you are unconscious and/or really banged up, who is going to explain it to them ?

[WeazyBuddha]

on the road id discussion

[MikeMike]

To Road ID or not to Road ID, that is the question.

If you have an accident in Mexico and are alone, here is what will happen.
First, you will have to survive the "first aid" from whoever happens by and who actually wants to deal with the sht you have found yourself in. They might just drive on, walk on, or stand there and say a few "Hail Mary's" or throw one for you.

If they throw one, and it is caught by someone else, you are in luck, Diego Flutie. If not, you are likely going to have to wait to flag a taxi (a taxi will likely cross your path at least once a day no matter where you are in Mexico if there is any sort of road) and look for a Cruz Roja clinic or a doctor that is open. So far the ID doesn't work.

If you are unconscious and someone is trying to help you, they might find the ID as they rifle your pockets, or they will find the ID as they try to help you. So far the ID might work or get turned into a bracelet for someone's kid.

If they get you to a clinic, the Cruz Roja people will likely have a look at it and probably make an attempt to decipher it but having something shiny distracting someone in an emergency is debatable. So far the ID might work.

If the Ministerio Publico gets involved (and yes, they will but only if they happen to be around, happen to be working, happen to give a damn, and are not on vacation or "un descanso social") they will examine the ID and likely try to use it.

By this time, if your wallet was not stolen, they will have done the usual Mexican wallet biopsy procedure and removed a layer or two which they might put back or they might not, and they will have found your driver's license and if you had your passport around your neck in a carry pouch like some people do, they will have had a peek at that, too.

What is most likely is that someone will give you a ride to a clinic or call the authorities if they think you are not going to make it and then they will split, fast. An accident with a foreigner here means bureaucracy that is exponential to the normal bureaucracy, not to mention a mix up that someone might think they were responsible for whatever has happened. This is true moreso in the rural areas rather than urban areas.

The ID is a great idea if it is in Spanish/English and you are traveling solo or if you are admitted to a clinic or hospital and they don't cut it off your wrist.

I don't know how many of you guys have any sort of helmet removal warning in Spanish on your helmets?
Not a bad idea.

Try this:

EN CASO DE ACCIDENTE NO QUITAR EL CASCO

or

EN CASO DE ACCIDENTE NO ME QUITEN EL CASCO

Having one or a couple of those stickers on your helmet can help you a lot. IMHO

I don't think a bracelet can hurt, but I do think it might be of limited use depending on circumstances. Usually, Mexican driver's licenses have your blood type on them, they have been doing that here for years.

The absolute best ID for medical emergencies is having a working Visa gold card duct taped to your forehead.

Or you can just get real lucky like a friend of mine and have an accident and have a trucker stop who recognizes you from the lunch stop a few hours back, who then picked up all his belongings and kept them safe for him while another guy who speaks English stopped and called me on my friend's cel phone to report the accident, while a pair of Cruz Roja paramedics with recently updated training, supplies, and a burning itch to show off their newly acquired updated skills happen by in their ambulance and patched him up for free.

Sometimes the Hail Mary's work...ask the aforementioned Diego Flutie.

Now, the much anticipated re-match! Mexican tag team lucha libre at it's absolute best!

Helmet ID sticker and St. Christopher medallion vs. Road ID and Blood Type sticker

[acejones]

St. Chris is looking better all along !

[Oneyedjack]

I noticed that the mexican motorcycle insurance thru mexadventure includes air ambulance coverage, among other things. Probably wouldn't be as good as Medjet coverage. Heard of anyone using this coverage through mexadventure?