Is it safe to drive by night in Yucatan

and local police do not carry firearms because they are considered unnecessary

Maybe not the Merida police but they are far outnumbered by state police who certainly do carry big guns.

My husband and I travel annually on the peninsula, and we have found outside of Cancun that the area is very welcoming and friendly and safe, if you take every day precautions (don't leave your stuff in your car, pay in small bills, etc). And we're pretty brave - we've stayed in jungle huts and eaten in parking lots for 10 pesos each. (We do not do resorts, haha.) We don't do a lot of driving at night simply because after dinner we usually want to relax in our rental and drink some gatorade to rehydrate - but the advice here is sound. Watch out for topes (they aren't always signed), watch out for dogs and families and livestock, and take it slow. We have encountered plenty of military type checkpoints in our travels, and the guns are alarming the first time, but once you stammer in Spanish that you're a tourist they smile and wave you through. It's really the police in the Cancun area I've been warned about. I've really never seen them out and about anywhere else, and the only other cars I see on toll roads are usually the green angels.

Better to spend the night and get up early. You never know what will be sleeping in the road. Mexican friend ran over a drunk passed out in the road and spent several day in jail till we could get him out.

and local police do not carry firearms because they are considered unnecessary

I´ve visited many communities where the local police were unarmed, or only carried sticks, but they were only responsible for throwing unruly drunks into jail during the fiesta. Whenever the monthly pension ¨cheques¨ were handed out, other heavily armed police were always present. And I¨ve read that gun crime is a federal police responsibility anyway.

or only carried sticks

Ahhhh, Chamula!

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