# New Jalisco driving law



## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

No more GPS, satellite radio, etc.

I would be interested to see if anyone here gets pulled over for this

Use of screens on the front panel of the vehicle that are not part of the original design of the unit, mobile devices , computers , PDAs , radios , tablets , and global positioning systems are prohibited. Fines of 65-323 peso's .

http://www.informador.com.mx/jalisc...-de-manos-libres-y-leer-mapas-al-conducir.htm


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

I wonder what the "front Panel " means?


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

chicois8 said:


> I wonder what the "front Panel " means?


Could be 'dashboard'. Nothing electronic on the dash.


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## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

I had my friend who is a native Spanish speaker interpret it:

Wow. That’s a crazy regulation. It seems that it’s only in effect in Jalisco state.



For what I read, it applies only to the driver, so I guess the GPS should be on the passenger side, and out of sight, preferably. 



For the comments that I read, people are mad with the new law, and they think it’s another money grab scheme from the government.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

People everywhere in the world gets mad when a new law passes, I have just read the news about the new law and my opinion, as a car, pickup truck and motorcycle/scooter driver...
The law is not crazy
My reasons: 
People should not, SHOULD NOT, get distracted by screens, radios, reading a map, looking for something, actioning the cigarette lighter, anything. We sometimes don't consider that we are in a moving and HEAVY vehicle, and there are other people, pedestrians, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles and other vehicles around, we think we are super heroes with a multitask ability but that is very much far from the truth.
For instance, if you ride a bicycle, or even worse, a scooter, you don't get many chances to get distracted before getting hurt, you should keep your eyes on the road, to see where you are going and just in case of dogs passing by, pedestrians, a soccer ball followed by a kid, etc.
Cars are more serious, they are much heavier and can cause much more damage.
Not all people have Schummacher's driving abilities or reflexes, some are older, wear glasses, are tired, angry, sad, sleepy, drunk...and then, on top of this, they want to take a look at something else, a screen, a map, make a phone call, yes, I can do this, no problem.

Today, GPS's talk, same with cell phones and a bluetooth system, there is no need for actually see a screen.
When I ride my scooter, almost every day, I honk at car drivers who are texting or using the cell phone, my horn is wearing out, and those people jump startled because they were much more concentrated on the darn thing than in driving, and of course, they get mad and throw one or two bad words on me! Like I'm the idiot misbehaving!

In a strict sense, it is a good law


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## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

Sure distraction is one thing, but i for example have a rear view camera which allows me to see behind my RV and I also have a tire pressure monitor which warns me if I have a flat on my inside dual or trailer. Is that a safety hazard? I think not, however I could be nailed in Jalisco for having either.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

telcoman said:


> Sure distraction is one thing, but i for example have a rear view camera which allows me to see behind my RV and I also have a tire pressure monitor which warns me if I have a flat on my inside dual or trailer. Is that a safety hazard? I think not, however I could be nailed in Jalisco for having either.


Yours is an exemption and should be handled accordingly 
You may get a special permit at TRANSITO offices


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

I just asked, you may as well make an AMPARO, send me a PM if you want


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> I just asked, you may as well make an AMPARO, send me a PM if you want


I see the word "amparo" used a lot in news stories involving legal matters. What exactly is an amparo? Does it have an equivalent, I wonder, in US law?


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

It's an appeal for legal protection


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> It's an appeal for legal protection


Thanks. In English that would be "file an appeal".


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Thanks. In English that would be "file an appeal".


That's what it is!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

GARYJ65 said:


> That's what it is!


So Gary65, what is meant by front panel, maybe I can suction cup it to my windshield and obscure my line of site.......or lay it on my center consul???????


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

chicois8 said:


> So Gary65, what is meant by front panel, maybe I can suction cup it to my windshield and obscure my line of site.......or lay it on my center consul???????


Front panel should be the dashboard, but I would think as far as the police officers don't see the devices, you'll be Ok

If you install something in your windshield I bet you will get a ticket

But really, if you guys just have to have something there, get an amparo, I know a lawyer here that can draw up the document and you can take it to the juzgados, get your amparo and be on the safe line


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Whoops. I accidentally clicked "like" on the original post because I was reading it on my touchscreen and was trying to move the screen and touched like. Please disregard. Is there any way to reverse an accidental like?

I think the closest term to amparo in this context would be "legal exemption"? I'm presuming, Gary, that you apply for the amparo prior to having a problem, not an appeal after the fact. Correct?


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

ojosazules11 said:


> Whoops. I accidentally clicked "like" on the original post because I was reading it on my touchscreen and was trying to move the screen and touched like. Please disregard. Is there any way to reverse an accidental like?
> 
> I think the closest term to amparo in this context would be "legal exemption"? I'm presuming, Gary, that you apply for the amparo prior to having a problem, not an appeal after the fact. Correct?


You are correct on that, you get a lawyer to draw one up for you, get the court to issue one and whenever you get in trouble, you use it.
Very useful


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

ojosazules11 said:


> Whoops. I accidentally clicked "like" on the original post because I was reading it on my touchscreen and was trying to move the screen and touched like. Please disregard. Is there any way to reverse an accidental like?


Not sure. Will attempt to find out from the Expat Forum powers-that-be and let you know.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

ojosazules11 said:


> Whoops. I accidentally clicked "like" on the original post because I was reading it on my touchscreen and was trying to move the screen and touched like. Please disregard. Is there any way to reverse an accidental like?


This should do it, according to Super-Mod jojo:

"Yes, when you click on the "like" button, it changes and says "unlike" - if you click on it, it takes the "like" away."


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> This should do it, according to Super-Mod jojo:
> 
> "Yes, when you click on the "like" button, it changes and says "unlike" - if you click on it, it takes the "like" away."


Thanks for looking into this, Isla. I actually tried that, since that's how it works on Facebook, and it didn't work. The like button was just faded out, and it didn't say unlike. But not to worry. I just have to be more careful when using my touchscreen.


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

GARYJ65 said:


> People everywhere in the world gets mad when a new law passes, I have just read the news about the new law and my opinion, as a car, pickup truck and motorcycle/scooter driver...
> The law is not crazy
> My reasons:
> People should not, SHOULD NOT, get distracted by screens, radios, reading a map, looking for something, actioning the cigarette lighter, anything. We sometimes don't consider that we are in a moving and HEAVY vehicle, and there are other people, pedestrians, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles and other vehicles around, we think we are super heroes with a multitask ability but that is very much far from the truth.
> ...


I'm with you. The other day here in Zihuatanejo, I witnessed a 125 cc scooter with Pop driving, oldest son standing between his legs, Mom sitting on the back seat, holding the newest addition to the family - none wearing helmets - and Dad holding the accelerator in one hand and his cellphone held up to his ear with the other.

Also reminds me of a feat of dexterity I viewed a few years ago: one of those gaz cylinder delivery guys "walking" a 5 ft. tall gas cylinder with one finger, while talking on his cellphone with the other hand. Guy should have been in a circus.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

HolyMole said:


> I'm with you. The other day here in Zihuatanejo, I witnessed a 125 cc scooter with Pop driving, oldest son standing between his legs, Mom sitting on the back seat, holding the newest addition to the family - none wearing helmets - and Dad holding the accelerator in one hand and his cellphone held up to his ear with the other.


WOW
That sounds like the Wallenda's new act!

It is incredible how irresponsible some people might be


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

[_QUOTE=GARYJ65;2371657]WOW
That sounds like the Wallenda's new act!

It is incredible how irresponsible some people might be[/QUOTE]_

Oh, I donñ´t know, Gary; when I was a kid in the 1950s in Alabama , riding on a scooter without a helmet or in the back of a pickup truck was a common occurence and a fabulous thrill for a young boy. We also liked riding on the old "running boards" of those 1950s cars and adults always allowed us that pleasure. Most of us survived through the grace of God but we were raisd by responsible adults who did what they thought was right and we had fun growing up.

When my parents, the very essence of civic responsibility in the 1950s, used to drive up to Birmingham from our small Alabama home town, they always stocked their bar in that big old Buick with bourbon and ice and, during that approximate three hour drive, enjoyed their occasional cocktails heading up I-65 to the big city. They never got soused but they were drinking under the social rules imposed in the State of Alabama in those days and even had they been stopped with that open bottle of booze in the glove compartment, the cops would have almost certainly let them go on their way. 

Mexico in 2013 is the Alabama of the 1950s except that, at least as the rules of the road go, parts of Mexico are cracking down on dangerous driving habits, at least temporarily.

"Temporary" is the key word in Mexico. I still remember when, circa 2004 or so, the Guadalajara cops decided to crack down on littering. Some poor slob did what he had done ten thousand times before and threw a cigarette butt into the street just as, unbeknownst to him, a Guadalajara police car was passing by and he was immediately arrested and forced to pay a huge fine with his picture pasted all over the local news media. Within a few weeks of this hilarious incident, the city totally forgot their anti-litter campaign and, for eight years now, those cigarette butts have been flying into the street without consequence. 

If you do not have a sense of humor you cannot live here in Mexico in peace.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

I don't think Mexico is like Alabama in the 50's, no way
4 people in a scooter without helmets...is irresponsible for my standards

Standards for many things have changed based on studies and experiences
Before, they used paint with lead, no helmets, drinking and driving, DDT, etc. They did not know back then, otherwise, possibly people would have done it differently.
I don't mean my Grandparents were mistaken, they just did not know better.
It's an interesting subject, to me, most things are much, MUCH better now
In any case, there is no turning back
Humanity has grown larger, we survived to different standards, but how many didn't?
Are we so sure things were better yesterday? SO VERY SURE? If so, why don't we go back to yesterday's ways?
Roman's piping were made of lead....they thought it was perfect


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## Detailman (Aug 27, 2011)

Hound Dog said:


> [_QUOTE=GARYJ65;2371657]WOW
> That sounds like the Wallenda's new act!
> 
> It is incredible how irresponsible some people might be_





*Quote from Hound Dog*
Oh, I donñ´t know, Gary; when I was a kid in the 1950s in Alabama , riding on a scooter without a helmet or in the back of a pickup truck was a common occurence and a fabulous thrill for a young boy. We also liked riding on the old "running boards" of those 1950s cars and adults always allowed us that pleasure. Most of us survived through the grace of God but we were raisd by responsible adults who did what they thought was right and we had fun growing up.

When my parents, the very essence of civic responsibility in the 1950s, used to drive up to Birmingham from our small Alabama home town, they always stocked their bar in that big old Buick with bourbon and ice and, during that approximate three hour drive, enjoyed their occasional cocktails heading up I-65 to the big city. They never got soused but they were drinking under the social rules imposed in the State of Alabama in those days and even had they been stopped with that open bottle of booze in the glove compartment, the cops would have almost certainly let them go on their way. 

Mexico in 2013 is the Alabama of the 1950s except that, at least as the rules of the road go, parts of Mexico are cracking down on dangerous driving habits, at least temporarily.

"Temporary" is the key word in Mexico. I still remember when, circa 2004 or so, the Guadalajara cops decided to crack down on littering. Some poor slob did what he had done ten thousand times before and threw a cigarette butt into the street just as, unbeknownst to him, a Guadalajara police car was passing by and he was immediately arrested and forced to pay a huge fine with his picture pasted all over the local news media. Within a few weeks of this hilarious incident, the city totally forgot their anti-litter campaign and, for eight years now, those cigarette butts have been flying into the street without consequence. 

If you do not have a sense of humor you cannot live here in Mexico in peace.[/QUOTE]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hound Dog,

We have learned a lot over the decades and can no longer tolerate the calamities caused by drinking drivers, distracted cel phone users, etc. The evidence is there and anyone that ignores it should be ashamed. Death to innocent people results from people's disregard for common sense.

And littering is not in the same category as drinking and driving or gabbing on a cel phone while driving. That is now against the law in British Columbia ($165 fine) but every day I see idiots talking or texting with their cel phones and their driving is atrocious. And for your information I drive constantly and I have a cel phone but if I take a call it is hands free only as my car has voice commands and bluetooth built in (close to 1,000 verbal commands can be given). My eyes are on the road!

And evidence is mounting that even hands free talking on cel phones is distracting so I keep that to a minimum avoid it in busy traffic situations.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

I can't help but wonder if the police will continue their custom of having six cops standing up in the back of a pickup truck. Hmmm?

I have a cell phone that lives in the glove compartment of my car. It is OFF. It's used only when the car is parked. People may have hands-free featured communication, and their eyes may be on the road, but the real issue is where their attention is focused. It is possible to be "looking" without "seeing". Driving in Mexico requires full attention, IMO.

That new driving law may have dual intentions: one purporting to be increased safety and the other collecting more fines. Yum. What could be better than that?

As far as the fifties are concerned, it was the best of times and also the worst of times, if those rose colored glasses are removed. I probably need not catalog the offenses against human rights in those days.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

lagoloo said:


> I can't help but wonder if the police will continue their custom of having six cops standing up in the back of a pickup truck. Hmmm?
> 
> I have a cell phone that lives in the glove compartment of my car. It is OFF. It's used only when the car is parked. People may have hands-free featured communication, and their eyes may be on the road, but the real issue is where their attention is focused. It is possible to be "looking" without "seeing". Driving in Mexico requires full attention, IMO.
> 
> ...


Driving in Mexico? Driving everywhere! I have seen drunk drivers, deers, busy moms, careless youngsters, stupid people, everywhere


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Careless, stupid, preoccupied, inattentive drivers.........everywhere..........are a danger to themselves and others. However, I think I've seen more macho thrill seekers passing at high speed in Mexico than I saw back NOB. Some were Mexican; others had license plates from elsewhere. (Even the "South Dakotans" do it).


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

[_QUOTE=lagoloo;2374241]Careless, stupid, preoccupied, inattentive drivers.........everywhere..........are a danger to themselves and others. However, I think I've seen more macho thrill seekers passing at high speed in Mexico than I saw back NOB. Some were Mexican; others had license plates from elsewhere. (Even the "South Dakotans" do it).[/QUOTE]_

Oh, lagolloo; I think perhaos you have not been around. Mexican divers are not even remotely among the worst on the planet.
x


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

So who gets the "worst drivers on the planet prize", in your opinion, Hound Dog?

And my oh my, have i ever "been around" (And around).


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Drivers in Rome.........


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


lagoloo said:



So who gets the "worst drivers on the planet prize", in your opinion, Hound Dog?

And my oh my, have i ever "been around" (And around).

Click to expand...

_
OK, lagoloo; I´ll bite even though the scope of my travels may be less than yours. This is just based on my limited experience. I´d say East Indians driving on the Sub- Continent but maybe Chinese immigrants recently arrived in San Francisco or, perhaps, Mississipians driving over to Tuscaloosa from Starkville for the Mississippi State-Alabama game soused to the gills with cheap whiskey or, perhaps, any driver in France or Germany with a French or German driver´s license or, perhaps, anyone but you and me.


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