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The first thing you should do is buy a Mexican auto insurance policy. Because, Mexican authorities will not accept a foreign auto insurance policy if your car meets with an accident. The policy you buy must include claims adjusters that will come to the scene of an accident and an attorney. This is important because if an accident occurs while you are driving your car in Mexico, you won't be allowed to move your vehicle and you may even be detained by the police if anyone is injured until fault can be established. You should know beforehand that in spite of considerable improvement in road conditions in Mexico during the last few years, there still remain some minor roads, mostly between small towns, which are paved with cobblestone instead of asphalt. In any case, you have to be careful about pot holes and ruts while driving.
Thankfully, there are very few reports of people receiving physical injuries while driving in Mexico, although there have been instances of people being stopped and their property being stolen while on an isolated road. To be on the safe side, drive as much as possible during the day and stop entertaining hitchhikers. Be careful if you spot any foreign objects in the road,; these could be ploys to force you to stop. Driving in daylight has other advantages also: you can read the road signs more clearly, and spot road hazards more easily.
One thing likely to strike you while driving through Mexico is the presence of livestock on roads. It poses a big problem for drivers, particularly because there is no fencing around the highways. Livestock are responsible for a large number of road accidents in Mexico. So be careful about them while driving. Another aspect you should be careful about is the reluctance of most drivers to use their turn lights when driving their car in Mexico and many cars do not have functioning brake lights either. You should therefore keep your distance, use your turn lights and be aware of those who do not in order to avoid accidents.
It is also essential to know who has the right of way. This is not
always easy because, even if you may be in the right, "the other
guy" won't give a damn if he happens to be bigger. As a result,
you will want to slow down at all intersections and look both ways
even when not necessary; it also means you will tend to give in to
bigger vehicles that want to occupy the same lane space with you.
Prepare yourself well ahead of time. Carry a reliable
Mexico map of
the road with you so that you know exactly where you are at a
particular point of time and the
driving
distance to your next destination. You can then find a hotel or
a motel if have trouble with your engine. Keep as many spare parts as
possible with you if you are in Mexico driving as they might be needed
any time during your journey. And last but not the least learn some
basic Spanish so that you can communicate with the local people when
the need arises.
