Is Mexico safe??

[mrzeszow]

I would love to get people's opinion on what you do to keep safe while using cabs. I'm a solo female traveler and for the most part I don't hesitate to take cabs. But over the last few years I'm starting to become a lot more vigilant.

One technique I employ, since I travel with my cellphone, is I photograph the driver and the license plate of the cab and email/txt it to a family member or friend. I don't bother putting any other information but they know what this is about and I always figured that in a last resort they would have something to show police. For the most part I try to do this in front of the driver so he/she knows that I have their photo.

I'm not sure if this is really a great tactic though since instead of making me safer it might just aggravate the driver and cause me greater trouble.

But any time I have gotten myself into a scary situation while traveling has always been completely my own fault, due mostly to thinking I know what I'm doing. Like the time I insisted I did not need a colectivo to take me back to the resort in the Chiapas jungle. Well, I didn't ask anyone what time the cabs/colectivos run till and apparently I turned the last one down. Walking for 20 kms in the dark by myself down a jungle road was definitely not smart. Thankfully, the colectivo driver knew I was a tourist and came back to find me. I had only been walking for a few kms at that point. I still send him Christmas cards to say thank you.