If you drive regularly to Chetumal and other parts of Mexico, you'll have to start obeying their traffic laws, or else, you could start facing penalties for it.
This morning, Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation began conducting vehicle inspections of any Belizean vehicles which passed by Route 182 near Subteniente Lopez, which is the main highway that takes you into Chetumal.
These inspections are intended to encourage Belizean drivers to register and comply with the requirements of the October 2017 MOU signed between Belize and Mexico on International Motor Carrier, Passenger and Freight Transportation.
The Mexican authorities want Belizeans who frequently travel by road into their country to get the appropriate registration, license and vehicle insurance.
A press release from the Ministry of Transport says, quote, "Note that these requirements and operations are with respect only to commercial vehicles entering Mexico such as buses, passenger vans, and freight transportation." So, we take that to mean it does not include private transport.
We asked Transport Minister Edmond Castro about this push for compliance by the the Mexicans:
Hon. Edmond Castro - Minister of Transport
"We have been in constant negotiation and trying to work out what we are expected to do with them as 2 sovereign nations and we have the bus situation, they had a whole list of proposal that they would like to see our buses and bus operators follow, even the trucks going into Mexico and for a long time we from Belize, we have been given a bilge in Chetumal where we can't do for ourselves here. I will give you one example. Most of us go across into Chetumal without even insurance, you can't travel in Belize on the streets of Belize or the country without insurance but we take the run because they give we a bilge to go into those people country and the cut about all about the place without insurance, we can't do that in no part of the world. So for them to be tightening up and saying that this is what we need to do and this is what you need to do to comply to run on our federal highways and in our municipal towns and cities, you have to comply with abc. That is perfectly in order for the Mexicans."
Daniel Ortiz
"When will this particular grace period end where they will no longer be allowing the Belizean drivers to be flouting their traffic laws?"
Hon. Edmond Castro
"I think the place of information I received that they started today, Wednesday for how long? I don't know, it's entirely up to the Mexican to determine what they expect or what they want in their country as it relates to the observation of their laws and traffic laws."
A release from the Transport Ministry says that the Mexican authorities have assured that there will be no fines or sanctions during these inspections, which will continue up until Friday. Once the grace period ends, however, drivers will have to comply with the traffic laws of Mexico, and get the appropriate documents.
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