DUI Roadblocks

lakeside7 wrote:

brigitte wrote:When I was taken away I was read my rights and I was  allowed several phone calls.. Why was it different for this woman?
I was told I could not make phone calls from jail but I made them from the MP..

Sorry she did make a phone call  so she was allowed a phone call..

I guess your story only confirms what most of us living in Mexico knows...The only consistent thing here , is the inconsistency that's happens in similar situations

Are you saying she was allowed a phone call and that she did not make it???

From the woman's own post copy and pasted above:
"After about an hour, I finally was able to persuade one policeman to remove my handcuffs and give me my cell to make one call to a friend who could care for my dog."

slainte39 wrote:

viejito wrote:Once you've been shaken down for about the 10th time you get a feel for the rate schedule. Start there and go up as needed.

10 times?.....I have been driving these roads since 1975, permanently since 1982, and I'm still on the south end of one digit encounters.
Was it the same transito, same town, same state?, if so, would make it easy to determine a rate schedule.  Having driven all over the Republic from border to border, and coast to coast, my few infractions were never in the same place or handled the same way.
The few tines I have  been stopped, I was as guilty as sin.

Yup, same transito. I was NEVER guilty as sin but he knew my car and it was either play his game or take him out which was always a temptation but I never gave in to that temptation. He was stupid and sloppy and often turned his back to me but my wife would have killed me if I had ever acted on that. Actually, the price went down as we got to know each other and ended at not much more than una coca.

Lots of blah, blah, blah here but no facts. I think it is important for us all to know whether this person was detained as the result of a roadside breathalyzer test and what she blew - so you all can be the Judge and Jury here. Can anyone confirm what the law here in Jalisco is? I just heard on the Canadian news that some jurisdictions in Canada are considering lowering the blood alcohol limit from .08 to .05. What is it here in Jalisco?

I'm going to assume for time being that it is anything over 0%.

viejito wrote:

slainte39 wrote:

viejito wrote:Once you've been shaken down for about the 10th time you get a feel for the rate schedule. Start there and go up as needed.

10 times?.....I have been driving these roads since 1975, permanently since 1982, and I'm still on the south end of one digit encounters.
Was it the same transito, same town, same state?, if so, would make it easy to determine a rate schedule.  Having driven all over the Republic from border to border, and coast to coast, my few infractions were never in the same place or handled the same way.
The few tines I have  been stopped, I was as guilty as sin.

Yup, same transito. I was NEVER guilty as sin but he knew my car and it was either play his game or take him out which was always a temptation but I never gave in to that temptation. He was stupid and sloppy and often turned his back to me but my wife would have killed me if I had ever acted on that. Actually, the price went down as we got to know each other and ended at not much more than una coca.

This one just buried the needle on the highly reliable BS Meter.

Someone posted that the limit in Jalisco and several other states is 0.04

and that they were arresting anyone blowing 0.025 but that is hearsay. No matter what do not drive if you have any alcohol in the blood because the same thing could happen and if you have an accident the insurance will not pay.

Even in many states and provinces NOB you can still be detained if you test under the legal limit. I haven't heard yet that anyone was formally charged, just detained and released the next day.

CanuckBob wrote:Even in many states and provinces NOB you can still be detained if you test under the legal limit. I haven't heard yet that anyone was formally charged, just detained and released the next day.

The punishment is a sliding scale depending on the alcohol level, from 0.25mg to 0.40mg is a fine, 0.41 to 0.65 mandatory detention of 12 to 24 hours and above 0.65 is mandatory detention from 24 to 36 hours. Repeat offenders within a 2 year period have their license revoked.

Clete wrote:

viejito wrote:

slainte39 wrote:

viejito wrote:Once you've been shaken down for about the 10th time you get a feel for the rate schedule. Start there and go up as needed.

10 times?.....I have been driving these roads since 1975, permanently since 1982, and I'm still on the south end of one digit encounters.
Was it the same transito, same town, same state?, if so, would make it easy to determine a rate schedule.  Having driven all over the Republic from border to border, and coast to coast, my few infractions were never in the same place or handled the same way.
The few tines I have  been stopped, I was as guilty as sin.

Yup, same transito. I was NEVER guilty as sin but he knew my car and it was either play his game or take him out which was always a temptation but I never gave in to that temptation. He was stupid and sloppy and often turned his back to me but my wife would have killed me if I had ever acted on that. Actually, the price went down as we got to know each other and ended at not much more than una coca.

This one just buried the needle on the highly reliable BS Meter.

Maybe, starting with infraction #11, you will earn a FREE ride. (and for eternity).

brigitte wrote:drunk or stoned and marijuana stays in your system for a long time so if you have an accident and hurt or kill someone be ready to pay and pay for ever..

I think it will kind of depend on if you have a medical marijuana card. I mean there are hundreds of prescription drugs, including even cough syrups, which have a driving warning. If they are going to enforce this medical part of the law to the maximum severity, Mexico will be the only country in the world to do so. Difficult for prosecutors to prove, and expensive - they would have to hire some very high up medical experts who could prove a direct link to, let say cough syrup, as the single cause of the accident. The answer is an effective public transit system, and Chapala/Ajijic is far, far, from even dreaming about that - I think it is even difficult to find a cab after 8:00 pm at night here. The crackdown has certainly been felt big time for entertainment/restaurant businesses in Guadalajara and Mexico City. You have a cocktail at home before going out to a restaurant, share a bottle of wine - you are over.

People will just stay in, drink at home, cook at home, watch Netflix, go to bed early - that is pretty well the lifestyle up here in Chapala Haciendas/Las Brisas anyways! Has been for years.

"People will just stay in, drink at home, cook at home, watch Netflix, go to bed early - that is pretty well the lifestyle up here in Chapala Haciendas/Las Brisas anyways! Has been for years."

I enjoy a drink before or wine with dinner. However, I certainly would not stay home if I could have neither. I feel sorry for people who have to have alcohol in order to relax and enjoy the company of friends.

So you see, as one door closes, another door opens. There is now opportunity for a group of personal chefs to prepare a special dinner with tableware, take all the dishes away to central facility with professional dish washing equipment. Could be set dinners, semi-prepared, or full blown, cooked right there. It might even be fun to work at a place like this. Even the Tapatio weekenders would be up for this service.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:"People will just stay in, drink at home, cook at home, watch Netflix, go to bed early - that is pretty well the lifestyle up here in Chapala Haciendas/Las Brisas anyways! Has been for years."

I enjoy a drink before or wine with dinner. However, I certainly would not stay home if I could have neither. I feel sorry for people who have to have alcohol in order to relax and enjoy the company of friends.

Sorry you misunderstood - people here do not like to drive at night. Ironically, one of the reasons is that there are/were so many drunks on the highway, but also stray animals, etc. People spend time with friends during the daytime - why not, the great majority of them don't have to work. At night, there are many who visit homes in the evening, but never on the highway.

Thanks Gamina for posting this - exactly what we all need to know. No "grey" area with this - should print it off and put it in your car along with the other important documents.

You have lived here long enough to know that they will do whatever they want.

Showing them this may get you another 24 hours in the can........

Was this the Chapala police, State or Federales that had the checkpoint?

I got the impression it wasn't the local transitos. Uber has been a big lifesaver in the States, I was told. Years ago they weren't strict on drunk driving like they are these days and the owner of my old hangout in Santa Monica told me everyone just calls Uber.

If Uber really gets going here, more gringos would probably go out more at night if they don't have to worry about not being able to see and now, getting hit with a DUI and a night in jail. Especially since it's such a hassle arranging a taxi.

CHILLIN wrote:

Lady Otter Latté wrote:"People will just stay in, drink at home, cook at home, watch Netflix, go to bed early - that is pretty well the lifestyle up here in Chapala Haciendas/Las Brisas anyways! Has been for years."

I enjoy a drink before or wine with dinner. However, I certainly would not stay home if I could have neither. I feel sorry for people who have to have alcohol in order to relax and enjoy the company of friends.

Sorry you misunderstood - people here do not like to drive at night. Ironically, one of the reasons is that there are/were so many drunks on the highway, but also stray animals, etc. People spend time with friends during the daytime - why not, the great majority of them don't have to work. At night, there are many who visit homes in the evening, but never on the highway.

I knew what you meant about the CH people. From the first part of your sentence I thought you meant other people would now do it too but because of the crackdown on DUIs. Those are the people I would feel sorry for. What did you mean by that first part?

CHILLIN wrote: people here do not like to drive at night.

Where do you come up with this bullshit?

Ezzie wrote:Thanks Gamina for posting this - exactly what we all need to know.  No "grey" area with this - should print it off and put it in your car along with the other important documents.

Why? Has it even been established that the checkpoints are doing anything illegal? You get busted they hold you for the *mandatory time the law requires.

*See my earlier post that gives the info in English so you can understand.

Actually the young Mexican I know drive at night rather than in the day on long hauls because there is less traffic...I think they are nuts but that is what they do.

Clete wrote:

CHILLIN wrote:  people here do not like to drive at night.  

Where do you come up with this bullshit?

Why do you insist on convincing us that you are an angry, old crunk? First of all, a lot of people's night vision is impaired after 60, second of all, we are talking about driving full velocity on the highway, not sneaking around the back streets to get in a last round in at the American Legion.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/over40/night-driving.htm

CHILLIN wrote:

Clete wrote:

CHILLIN wrote:  people here do not like to drive at night.  

Where do you come up with this bullshit?

Why do you insist on convincing us that you are an angry, old crunk? First of all, a lot of people's night vision is impaired after 60, second of all, we are talking about driving full velocity on the highway, not sneaking around the back streets to get in a last round in at the American Legion.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/over40/night-driving.htm

Why do you insist on making ridiculous statements like the one I quoted? First of all, when you say "people here" you do realize that gringos over 60 make up a miniscule percentage of the population. Have you ever driven the periferico in Guadalajara at 4:30 am? If you had you would realize that people here drive at all hours of the day or night.

yes no grey area, you have a sip of alcohol you get fined, more than a sip you go to jail, nothing to fight about just do not drink and drive and you do not need to know what the limit is or worry about blood test or breathalyzer or what that paper say..It is very simple..
There is no excuse for drinking and driving, lots of accident and death can be prevented so people have to change their ways. I come from a country where wine with dinner is part of the culture and France managed to change that for those who are driving, huge fines, jail time and withdrawal of the driver´s license is how they did it , Mexico needs to do the same and there is no point coming up with lame excuses and blaming the police for enforcing the no drinking and driving laws.
There are large billboards all over the country saying if you drink do not drive.. they do not say anything about the limit.. they are pretty clear , this is not the US and there is no need for splitting hair on the way the law can be read, you will not win that one.

Clete wrote:

CHILLIN wrote:

Clete wrote:

CHILLIN wrote:  people here do not like to drive at night.  

Where do you come up with this bullshit?

Why do you insist on convincing us that you are an angry, old crunk? First of all, a lot of people's night vision is impaired after 60, second of all, we are talking about driving full velocity on the highway, not sneaking around the back streets to get in a last round in at the American Legion.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/over40/night-driving.htm

Why do you insist on making ridiculous statements like the one I quoted? First of all, when you say "people here" you do realize that gringos over 60 make up a miniscule percentage of the population. Have you ever driven the periferico in Guadalajara at 4:30 am? If you had you would realize that people here drive at all hours of the day or night.

The way I took the "people here, etc." statement was that the poster was referring to fellow expats rather than the population in general.  In that case, it's true since many are experiencing age related diminished vision at night, making driving more difficult.