No doubt you have, at one time or another, come across a vehicle, semi or bus on your way to Rocky Point with their left blinker flashing. They can’t be turning left since there is just desert and they can’t be passing because there is no vehicle ahead of them so what is the point of the left flasher?
When you come upon a vehicle on the highway and they turn on their left blinker, this means that it is safe for you to pass them.
Usually buses and semi trucks do this because they can see further ahead than you can. But, they do not take into account that your vehicle may not have the horsepower to get around them and back into your lane before the approaching car greets you with its front bumper. In most cases the road is completely clear or the next vehicle is miles ahead. On busy weekends, this time may be shortened as they know you are eager to get around them (since you are riding up their hiney) and get your vacation started in Rocky Point. You can count this as true on probably 99% of Mexican plated vehicles, but only some U.S. and Canadian plated vehicles know this Mexican road rule. There are some of us who have lived in Rocky Point a long time or those who visit often who will blink left when it is safe to pass. I think it is a great road rule and I wish it would catch on in the States. This rule does not apply to city streets, though I have seen many people blink left at me on one way streets, but mostly they are cars that are sputtering smoke hoping to make it the next few feet or vehicles towing other vehicles.
On this same subject, when you see a vehicle in town with their left blinker on, it does not always mean that they are going to turn left. Same goes with the right blinker so defensive driving knowledge is a must here in Rocky Point, Mexico. And the same goes for turn lanes: just because someone is in the left turn lane does not mean they are going to turn left and the same goes for the right turn lane. Do not ass-u-me – you know what that does! You need to keep a safe distance when driving in the city because you just don’t know what the car ahead of you or beside you is going to do.
Back to highway driving: Highway 8, the main highway from the Sonoyta/Lukeville border is a great 2-lane highway with plenty of places to pull over and pass. The parts of the highway where it is safe to pass are clearly marked as are curves and the shoulder. If you ever have a mechanical problem, all you have to do is pull over to the side of the road and lift the hood. The Green Angels (Angeles Verdes) patrol the highway from 8:00AM to 8:00PM every day and offer free mechanical help and towing. They can bring you gas, oil, do small repairs or get you towed to someone who can help. Their services are free, but you will need to pay for any gas, oil, etc. They drive slowly down the highway so just be patient and pick a shady spot to wait. No doubt there will be others who pull over to help you out.