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Mordida on Colombia Bridge Crossing - Highway 2


RickS

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On 1/30/2018 at 6:07 PM, hensley said:

I don't and won't pay mordida, I just wait patiently for a ticket or they let me go, usually get pulled over for something they said I didn't do, just be polite to them.

I would rather pay a 20 dollar bribe than have my insurance go up by 50 percent and pay a couple hundred dollar fine (if not More) back in the states. Thats worse than mordida if you ask me.Yes, We all say its not right but its done in so many other countries, also. I don't speak Spanish which already puts me in trouble, but if the guy wants a 20 , he is getting that 20 especially if its only myself and the wife and 2 cops on a lonely road in the middle of who knows where. A matter of principle gets thrown out the window real quick. 

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First  Insurance cost in Mexico (unlike the USA) has nothing to do with your driving record. 50 tickets, 2 accidents, your insurance is the same.

As to how you would be due to pay a fine in the states for a ticket received in Mexico??   

Paying a bribe is illegal. Ask any traffic policeman in  the USA or Mexico as to how they decide to hand out a ticket once they have stopped you. Normally they will tell you that people who are polite, respectful, and ask forgiveness many times do not receive a ticket. 

So as many here are suggesting...  Violate the law for convenience. Do it  in Mexico.

Do they advocate the same in say the USA where a ticket will raise their insurance rates, and result in a large fine as well?  I doubt so.   Ok to break the law on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere?  Consider that at that moment you do you are dealing with a criminal. 

I didn't pay bribes in New York, nor in Chicago when I lived there. I don't in Mexico either.  And I would never suggest to anyone to commit a (delito) felony in Mexico

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On 2/18/2018 at 11:00 AM, bmh said:

what about if the guy wants 1500 like they sometimes do in Mexico city? You hand it over , get the ticket or bargain?

Be polite, smile, and ask for the ticket. If you have DF plates you will need to pay a very small fine and it is 1/2 if paid with 7 days. If you have plates from a different country they won't issue a ticket, because enforcement is impossible. If you have plates from a different Mexican state normally the states do not send the  information to each other. However you can pay a DF ticket at a recaudadora in Jalisco for example as they can access the system. 

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Mordidas are a prevalent problem in Mexico for all expats and Mexicans.  However, just to put this issue into another perspective, I drove to Texas in my Jalisco plated vehicle in October and was stopped by the Texas DPS (highway patrol) for no reason.  I was not speeding, my brake and tail lamps were functional.  Nor was I drinking and weaving.  I was one hour north of Laredo.  I was stopped for no reason other than I had Jalisco plates.  The Texas DPS trooper (Mexican American) told me so.  Documentation requested was valid drivers license, then proof of financial responsibility (liability insurance),  then Mexican visa ( I am a gringo born in Texas.. ?), and then also my American passport (?).  Since he did not understand Spanish, he asked me to translate my Mexican Qualitas auto policy to him and I did.  I also pointed out to him the toll free Mexico phone number on my policy papers with English speaking customer service reps to assist him.  There is more to this story but it will go political against forum rules.  The Cliff's Notes version is elections have consequences. 

On the same trip up on my way to Texas on Hwy 57 just North of SLP, a camino federale stopped me.  The usual questions, where did you come from and where are you going?  He never asked for my drivers license, proof of insurance, Mexican visa, or passport.  In Spanish, with respect, I told him where I came from and where I was going.  He asked me if I was a gringo. My reply was (con respeto) "Yo naci Texas pero soy Mexicano como ud porque todos los Mexicanos nacemos donde nos da la rechingada gana."  I know my Spanish is not perfect, but he got it.  He shook my hand and said adelante paisano.  YMMV

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Not sure how that example compares as the Texas cop didn't ask you for money, did he?  

2 hours ago, Kiko said:

Mordidas are a prevalent problem in Mexico for all expats and Mexicans. 

Yep, that is the reality.  Mexico is now considered to be the most corrupt country in Latin America.  I've seen more than a few reports where the cops actually pulled guns on people shaking them down for money.  There's a very good reason why Mexicans stay as far away from their cops as they can.

 

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11 hours ago, Mainecoons said:

Not sure how that example compares as the Texas cop didn't ask you for money, did he?  

Yep, that is the reality.  Mexico is now considered to be the most corrupt country in Latin America.  I've seen more than a few reports where the cops actually pulled guns on people shaking them down for money.  There's a very good reason why Mexicans stay as far away from their cops as they can.

 

Neither officer asked for a bribe.  My point is after holding a Texas Drivers License for 50 years I am well aware that the police in Texas have the right to request my TDL, registration, and proof of fincancial liability.  Abuse of authority to ask an American citizen for his Mexican visa on US soil in addition to asking for my American passport.  I am not a Mexican American, I am as American caucasian as one could be.  No probable cause whatsoever on the part of the officer.

All of this nonsense on top of the fact that I was pulled over for no other reason than driving a Mexican plated car.  So the bottom line of my post is that there are shitty cops on both sides of this border.  The DPS in southern Texas have been well documented for overstepping their boundaries, now more so than ever.  Corruption does not magically disappear at the Rio Bravo contrary to what some believe.  

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7 minutes ago, Kiko said:

All of this nonsense on top of the fact that I was pulled over for no other reason than driving a Mexican plated car.  So the bottom line of my post is that there are shitty cops on both sides of this border.

 

Seems to me the office wanted to confirm your use of a Mexican plated car. I see probable cause to challenge you.

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15 minutes ago, AngusMactavish said:

Seems to me the office wanted to confirm your use of a Mexican plated car. I see probable cause to challenge you.

MY TDL and proof of insurance with my name and address on the policy is sufficient according to current law.  Mexican visa and passport demand is out of line.  Back in the 70's I rode with a DPS trooper on the weekends, I know that has been a long time ago.  Nowadays, some of these guys are overreaching authority.

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1 hour ago, Kiko said:

Neither officer asked for a bribe.  My point is after holding a Texas Drivers License for 50 years I am well aware that the police in Texas have the right to request my TDL, registration, and proof of fincancial liability.  Abuse of authority to ask an American citizen for his Mexican visa on US soil in addition to asking for my American passport.  I am not a Mexican American, I am as American caucasian as one could be.  No probable cause whatsoever on the part of the officer.

All of this nonsense on top of the fact that I was pulled over for no other reason than driving a Mexican plated car.  So the bottom line of my post is that there are shitty cops on both sides of this border.  The DPS in southern Texas have been well documented for overstepping their boundaries, now more so than ever.  Corruption does not magically disappear at the Rio Bravo contrary to what some believe.  

A cop is not being "shitty" for checking a Mexican car for proper papers.  Mexicans are notorious for driving without insurance or even current registration.  I would say the Texas cop was doing his job to protect American citizens from uninsured Mexican motorists.  They also run routine checks to catch U.S. citizens without insurance as well.

Again, your comparison is not valid if you use this as an example of corruption.  Corruption is the mordida shakedown practiced by a whole bunch of cops and transitos in this country and being in denial about that looks rather like real nonsense to me. 

I will say at least locally the mordida problem has subsided somewhat.  Based on the reports I continue to see from visiting riders and other tourists, however, that doesn't appear to be the general case.  There are a steady stream of these reports coming from the Laredo crossing and also south of Nogales and south of California.

BTW I have driven across the Texas border twice per year for the last 6 years with my Mexican plated car and never been stopped and checked by anyone.  But I certainly would have no problem with them checking my registration and insurance.

 

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13 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

BTW I have driven across the Texas border twice per year for the last 6 years with my Mexican plated car and never been stopped and checked by anyone.  But I certainly would have no problem with them checking my registration and insurance.

Yes but you look like a whitebread senior, driving a plain vanilla vehicle (Honda CRV) - big difference.

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The police in Texas should maybe spend more time protecting their schools and churches than harassing American senior citizens on traffic stops.  The officer knew I was an American citizen with my TDL. I obeyed all laws.  Complete nonsense to demand a Mexican visa of an American citizen on US soil. In the last year stopped once in Webb county and twice in Hays county.  YMMV

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Go down your Mexican vehicle checklist. Valid liability insurance. Valid driver's license. Little chiuahua bobble head figure in the back window. Virgen statuette in front window, those fabric puffballs hanging all around your headliner, all windows shaded, boat load of crucifixes and rosary beads hanging off the rear view mirror, a Mariachi glitter steering wheel cover (don't laugh, I have one, and many have admired it).

This is truly a country of joy.

https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=how+to+decorate+your+Mexican+vehicle&dcr=0&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi02Mvli7XZAhXGwFkKHbOHBhMQsAQIMQ&biw=1280&bih=898

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27 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

Little chiuahua bobble head figure in the back window. Virgen statuette in front window, those fabric puffballs hanging all around your headliner, all windows shaded, boat load of crucifixes and rosary beads hanging off the rear view mirror, a Mariachi glitter steering wheel cover (don't laugh, I have one, and many have admired it)

That's what I'm missing!  LOL!!

You have to admit a plain vanilla CRV is going to look pretty silly dressed up like that!  :)

Kiko, don't know what to tell ya.  You don't look like one of the guys on "Narcos" do ya?  They don't even bother me up there when I'm riding the R1200GS. 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Kiko said:

The police in Texas should maybe spend more time protecting their schools and churches than harassing American senior citizens on traffic stops.  The officer knew I was an American citizen with my TDL. I obeyed all laws.  Complete nonsense to demand a Mexican visa of an American citizen on US soil. In the last year stopped once in Webb county and twice in Hays county.  YMMV

Maybe you should just stay out of Texas if you have problems with how they enforce their laws. That would seem to solve your problem. Otherwise, suck it up ! :D

 

 

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