Following an August 18 meeting with Jalisco’s top security brass, Chapala Mayor Moisés Anaya has announced that state traffic police are planning to re-instate random spot-checks practiced regularly in March and April 2019 along the Chapala-Jocotepec corridor to snare drunk drivers, errant motorcyclists and stolen or improperly documented vehicles.
The itinerant Salvando Vidas DUI traps are most likely to be set up on weekends when visitors tend to imbibe in excess at lakeside restaurants and watering holes. They are usually placed in areas where there is sufficient space for cars and trucks to pull out of traffic while drivers are subjected to breathalyzer checks.
The spot checks to catch bikers buzzing around without protective helmets, reflective vests, license tags and legal paperwork may pop up any day of the week and at diverse locations.
Although Anaya pledged that law-abiding expatriates will not be specifically targeted, foreigners holding visitor or resident temporary immigration status who drive vehicles with out-of-country plates are advised to bone up on regulations regarding the temporary import permit (TIP) issued at border crossings and the documents they may be asked to show to traffic police. Helpful information is posted by local attorney Spencer McMullen in threads of the legal section at insidelakeside.com and at chapalalaw.com/blog.