On our way to Uxmal we got stopped by a police officer because of speeding and despite the fact that everyone was going the same speed we were the only car that got pulled over. He told us that we had been driving too fast and that he had everything on camera. First, we thought that we could get out of this by apologizing in Spanish and promising not to do it again. But he insisted on seeing my driving license. When he had it he showed me a list with the number 2’400 Pesos, approx. 126 USD, and told me that this was the fine for speeding.
When he told us that I could either pay now and get my driving license back immediately or pay back in Campeche and get it back after paying we started to realize that he was looking for a bribe. We also realized that his next move would be to offer us a discount when we paid immediately and in cash of course.
But we didn’t play his game and insisted on receiving a ticket including a proof of speeding and pay it in Mérida – our next stop. And we told him that he can’t keep my driving license for a minor violation of traffic law. It was a risky game that we played, especially as he was holding his hand on his gun the entire time he was talking to us.
But suddenly the ticket was no topic anymore, he backed off, returned my driving license, said that he will leave us with a warning and let us drive off.
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