Yes, I usually drive over. Yes, it has risks. Yes, I've been screwed a few times over 20 years of doing it. But I really prefer the freedom of having my car, so I do it. In 20 years, I've been stopped by a cop down there about 3 or 4 times - always for something absurdly trivial. On one occssion I gave the cop a pack of cigs and he let me go. On two others they basically told me I'd have to go to jail and pay the ticket and I asked if I could pay them and they, of course, said yes and then demanded I give them the cash under some paper or other so it could not be seen if anyone was watching.
Recently, I've read that the American Embassy is working with some govt. agency down there to try and cut down on cops ripping off gringos. Well, last night I got pulled over when I was 100%, absolutely, without question certain I had done NOTHING conceivably wrong. I was driving straight, the correct speed limit, in a lane, there was no possible reason to mess with me.
So, when the cop came over I asked him why he stopped me. He said, in Spanish (mine is good, not great, but good enough so they think it's great if we don't talk too long), "You don't know?" I said, "I know I did nothing wrong and you had no reason to stop me and I'm telling you now I won't pay a bribe and if you wanna take me to jail then take me and I'll let the embassy know."
Given how rude I was - understand, I am in my 40's and was dressed very well and looked professional at the time - it was kind of amazing that he didn't haul me off. But I just decided I wasn't gonna put up with it and I had no where to go and no one was waiting for me, so I figured WTF, I ain't paying no bribe to this asshole.
So, he told me to calm down and asked to see my car registration and ID. I gave him both. He asked what I did for a living and I gave him a business card.
He asked why I was so upset and I told him I'd been stopped before for nothing by police wanting bribes and I had had enough of it. I told him I read that the US embassy was trying to stop it and I was gonna tell them about this.
He went on about something I didn't really understand for a while - he kept talking on and on - and I only half understood what he was saying. Something about someone stealing a car they were looking for - all I can say is that I had the strong impression he was full of shit about that but that he had decided for some reason he didn't want to mess with me. I guess I just somehow got lucky for some reason.
He then asked me what I was doing there. Somehow, I forgot to mention TER or Mermaid's where I had just spent an hour with a really pretty girl named Elena from Sonora ($50 to the place/$100 to her). Instead, I told him I came across for dinner and the name of a nice restaurant in Zona Rio where I had gone. I even had TJ restaurant reviews with that one listed and I showed it to him and we then talked about what I had for dinner.
He spent the next five minutes telling me that not all TJ cops are dishonest - like any other profession, some are bad, some are good. We shook hands three times during the conversation. He smiled at me and let me go.
Ok, I was dumb...I know. But, on this one occsion, it worked and it felt good not to get oushed around and forced to bribe someone when I knew I had done nothing wrong.
I got into a small car accident down there. This has never happened to me before down there. I've never gotten into an accident down there before so I just stopped paying for Mex. insurance years ago figuring it's a waste of money.
Well, now this happened.
No one got hurt. The damage was trivial - none to my car and only a dented door to the other guy's. He was not at fault in any way. So, we exchanged info. and he called me today to say his estimate is $900. I asked him to fax me the estimate. So, assuming it looks like a legit estimate, I'll pay his repairs.
So, that's the down side.
they can't take you to jail unless they take you before a judge first, that's absolutely what I've heard many times. Hence, if you feel (like you did) that the stop was bogus and you did nothing wrong, don't give in to bribes and threats. They won't take you in, fill out paperwork, and go before a judge for a questionable, small-time fake charge. They just want money...so good for you to stand up.
As far as the accident, that sucks. Good for you to step up on that one if it was your fault. Maybe you can work out a lesser cash settlement with the involved party....you KNOW he's not gonna fix his car, just pocket the cash. If you feel the estimate is bogus, tell him you want to get a 2nd estimate....maybe he'll take less cash. Good luck!
I had the same thoughts as you. The only thing I did to try and see if he was giving me a bogus inflated estimate was to insist that I was gonna pay the repair shop directly so he couldn't easily get some fake estimate and keep the extra cash. But he agreed and the estimate was from a dealer, so I think the odds are very high that it is legit - expensive for the small damage, but I don't think he's pocketing anything extra. All in all, it actually felt good to accept responsibility and take care of it for him and apologize that he had to be inconvenienced. He was a nice guy, so it worked out ok as far as I can tell. (Only I would have rather spent the money on some senoritas and tacos and beer!)
YOU are very lucky you didn't have to spend any time in a Tijuana jail. Let's see if your luck holds out and go play the Lotto.
I assume no cops came by when you had your accident since from what I've been told numberous times, IF you have no Mexican liability insurance, the police WILL take you to jail until you can arrange for some type of bond so the damage will be paid to the other person's car.
This is like staring down the 8 inch barrel of Dirty Harry's .44 magnum when he asks:
"well..........do you feel lucky PUNK?"
IF you are daring enough to risk going to a TJ jail, drive in Mexico without liability insurance.
Otherwise, if you do drive in Mexico, Mexican insurance is mandatory!
If you just want liability insurance, it's around $10-15 per car at the border for 24 hours.
You may be a careful driver but the other guy may not be......
Let's start with the disclaimer: there are no absolutes. However, most of the time when you have done nothing wrong if you respecfully stand your ground, the cops will let you go.
Your only mistake, was not being respectful. Sometimes that will cause a lot of problems--cops in TJ are often very macho.
The law in the border area is that the cop must give you a ticket. He can't legally remove your license plates or make you follow him to the police station--no matter what he claims.
You can also say you read that on the City of Tijuana web site. Often if you respectfully inform them the cop Internet say you should report any problems to Sindicura (sp) [internal affairs] you'll find the cops lose interest in collecting a bribe.
The info. here is great - the regulars here are VERY reliable. I was wondering why he let me off so easily despite my being an asshole to him. I'll hold my tongue better next time, but I will feel much more comfortable refusing to pay a bribe if I did nothing wrong.