As the first three months of the year come to a close on the Mexican Caribbean beach resort hotspot of Cozumel at the end of March, the island has already surpassed the total number of traffic deaths for the entire year of 2023.
Unfortunately, half of those deaths on the road were tourists visiting the island for their dream vacation getaway.
Dangerous Roadways
It’s been an unfortunate three months of traffic incidents in Cozumel to start 2024, and officials are committed to taking immediate action to reverse the trend and provide more safety and security for visitors enjoying the island.
According to the data, there are two main issues that appear to be connected to the significant jump in roadway deaths among travelers to Cozumel.
The first issue is that tourists are renting mopeds and motorcycles without possessing enough experience to ride the vehicles.
Lack of Moped and Motorcycle Experience
Visitors to Cozumel are renting mopeds and motorcycles to get around the island without having the proper amount of experience riding the vehicle to do so with the safety and security needed.
Compounding the issue is that the Cozumel moped and motorcycle rental agencies are so eager to get into the rental business that they are allowing tourists to rent the vehicles, knowing full well that they lack experience riding them.
“A resident of Cozumel must carry a motorcyclist license that is now issued by the Mobility Institute of the State of Quintana Roo,” said a traffic official, as reported by Sipse.
“If we stop a person without a license, we must issue a ticket, according to the Municipal Traffic Regulations in articles 53 and 55. However, when a tourist is stopped with a rental motorcycle, most of the time they are allowed leave with just a warning.”
That is until it is too late and the tourist lacking the proper license to ride a moped or motorcycle is involved in a serious accident, or worse.
Excessive Coastal Highway Speed
The second issue is that tourists regularly ignore the speed limit on the southern coastal highway, where most fatal accidents occur in Cozumel, which is just over 55 mph or locally posted at 90 kph.
The municipal police of Cozumel, in coordination with Quintana Roo state authorities, have both committed to strict enforcement of the speed limit and driving behavior, especially during the upcoming peak spring holiday travel period when the island is expected to be full of tourists enjoying their vacation getaways.
What Tourists Need to Know
There’s nothing worse to ruin a vacation getaway in Cozumel than receiving a traffic violation or, even worse, being involved in a traffic accident.
Municipal police in Cozumel are urging tourists to slow down, and if they do not ride a moped or motorcycle in their home country, they should avoid riding them in Cozumel.
Visitors to the Mexican Caribbean island are expected to observe the same traffic laws they would have to observe on the mainland, such as in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, or even Cancun.
If travelers do not have the proper license for moped and motorcycle riding, they are not allowed to ride them in Mexico and will be cited and fined by local authorities for not possessing the proper license.
Tourists will also be cited and fined for exceeding the speed limit on dangerous roadways, such as the coastal highway, where travelers can expect saturation police coverage and strict no-excuses speed limit enforcement with high fines.
So, visitors to Cozumel should think first, obey traffic laws and enjoy spending their money having fun on a holiday vacation getaway instead of paying traffic fines to the municipal police.
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